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Summer 2025 Registration is Closed

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.

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Medical

  • Recognizing signs and symptoms of common medical illnesses:

     -  Respiratory/Diabetic Emergencies

     -  Allergic Reactions

     -  Heart Attacks

     -  Seizures

     -  Heat Illnesses

     -  Drug Overdoses 

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Trauma

  • Stabilizing traumatic injuries with pre-hospital interventions 

  • Methods for immobilizing cervical spine and back boarding​​

  • Bleeding Control

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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, Professor 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.

  • Where are classes located?
    Classes will always be held on the UF campus. The specific location will be provided the week before classes begin through Canvas.
  • What does the cost of the lab ticket cover?
    The price of the ticket includes the cost for your CPR certification, your t-shirt, and the equipment that you use in class. When you purchase a lab ticket, it automatically registers you for the Wednesday lecture as well.
  • Will this course impact my UF GPA?
    No, this is an extra-curricular course. Our organization operates independently from UF, so your performance in the course does not affect your GPA or excess hour surcharge in any way.
  • Do I need to be a UF student to take this course?
    No, you do not have to be a current UF student to take our First Responder course. Our course is open to everyone in the Gainesville community. We have UF students, Santa Fe students, high school students, parents, and caregivers take our course every semester.
  • Is attendance mandatory?
    Yes, it is since we are an hours-based course. Students may only miss up to 3 classes through the entirety of the semester, and the absences must still be made up at reviews.
  • What time commitment should I expect from this course?
    We try to make the class as minimally time-consuming as possible, but we always recommend that students study outside of class and practice the skills we teach! The minimum time commitment is the 2-hour lecture and 2-hour lab. Most students find that they can easily balance our course along with full-time enrollment at UF.
  • How long does the certification last?
    The First Responder certification is lifetime. The BLS for Healthcare Providers certification lasts for two years after completion.
  • What prerequisites do I need to take this course?
    None at all! All you need is an interest in learning about emergency medicine. If you do have prior certifications or experience, that is excellent! Our class is composed of students from all academic interests and experience levels, but there are no prerequisites whatsoever.
  • Do I have to take a CPR course separately?
    No, we will be teaching BLS for Healthcare Providers CPR during one of the labs this semester.
  • I saw other groups advertising an EMR class. Are they with First Responder Gator?
    First Responder Gator is an official student organization at UF. We are registered with Student Activities and Involvement. We guarantee that all of our members and students will receive exclusive opportunities unmatched by other groups on UF’s campus. We are aware of other groups offering EMR courses in online and audio formats. However, we are not affiliated with them in any way. It is understood that there are currently no other registered student organizations at the University of Florida that offer EMR or First Responder classes, nor any which possess the professional affiliations that we do. If you are not registering at eventbrite.com, you are not enrolling with our organization. Unlike other EMR courses on campus, we provide in-person instruction for both lecture and lab*. Hands-on training is essential within the First Responder curriculum, and we pride ourselves in the great bedside mannerisms which our students perfect as a result. Additionally, students can master their material in less time since there are no required lectures outside of class time. We offer you the unrivaled opportunity to train hands-on in a less time-consuming format, plain and simple. Choose which learning style works for you!
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