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Fall 2025 Registration is now OPEN!

Lecture: Wednesday | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Lab: Tuesday or Thursday | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

All locations are on UF campus and will be released to you prior to the start of the course. 

When you buy a lab ticket, you are automatically registered for the lecture portion of the course.

Click Below to Register for Lab and Wednesday Lecture!

Skills You Will Learn

Certification Details

Our First Responder course prepares students to provide pre-hospital assessment and care for patients of all ages with a variety of medical conditions and traumatic injuries. Topics include an introduction to Emergency Medical Services systems, roles and responsibilities of First Responders, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, and special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting.

Medical

Medical

  • Recognizing signs and symptoms of common medical illnesses:

     -  Respiratory/Diabetic Emergencies

     -  Allergic Reactions

     -  Heart Attacks

     -  Seizures

     -  Heat Illnesses

     -  Drug Overdoses 

Trauma

Trauma

  • Stabilizing traumatic injuries with pre-hospital interventions 

  • Methods for immobilizing cervical spine and back boarding​​

  • Bleeding Control

Assessments

Assessements

  • Performing primary and secondary patient assessments

  • ​Taking vital signs and relaying information to other EMS professionals

  • Assessing mental status

  • Performing stroke assessments

Basic Life Support (BLS) Training

Our course also includes the American Heart Association’s Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers certification.  Students will learn CPR techniques, AED usage, bag-valve-mask technique and usage, rescue breathing, and relief of choking for adults, children, and infants. Students will also learn how to handle emergency situations until advanced medical personnel arrive. The cost of the certification and license is included in the course registration fee.

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Lecture

Lecture is taught by David Sutton, a Firefighter/Paramedic for Gainesville Fire Rescue with 9-years of field experience. Outside of the First Responder course, he works as both a front-line responder, a SWAT Medic, and an assistant professor for the Santa Fe College Paramedic program. As a University of Florida alumnus with a degree in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, he is passionate about medical education and community outreach. For his outstanding work, Fire Chief Sutton has been awarded both Firefighter of the year and EMS provider of the year from Gainesville Fire Rescue. He is currently collaborating with Captain Joseph Hillhouse to develop the first Community Resource Paramedic program in Gainesville, which will connect underutilized resources to local underserved populations. In his free time, David enjoys volunteering with the P.K. Yonge Robotics team and spending time with his wife, Stephanie, and his children, Xavier and Amelia.

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