Welcome to the Fresno Madera Red Cross

Information and Candidate Application

Welcome to the American Red Cross, and thank you for your interest in becoming a part of our mission of emergency prevention and preparedness. We'd like to congratulate you on your commitment to building a healthier, safer community by pursuing an American Red Cross Instructor Authorization and helping us reach our community with lifesaving training.

As an American Red Cross Instructor, you are leveraging more than 90 years of lifesaving expertise and a brand that is trusted and recognized as being the premier health and safety training organization.

BENEFITS

· It is a great way to meet new people, help others learn lifesaving information, and volunteer for your community.

· Gain confidence in yourself and your skills, while providing a valuable service to your community or company.

· Become part of the largest, and most respected, Health and Safety training organization in the world.

HOW DO I BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR?

PRE-REQUISITES:

Instructor Candidates must be 17-years of age by the last class meeting date and must possess a current (within 1 year) Fundamentals of Instructor Training (FIT) certificate or be a current instructor in another Red Cross discipline.

Potential First Aid/CPR/AED Instructors are required to know Adult/Infant/Child CPR, AED Essentials, and First Aid prior to taking the instructor course. Participants will be tested on their skills during the Pre-Course portion of the class. All participants must pass the Pre-Course before completing the remainder of the instructor course. If you do not pass the Pre-Course you must take and pass a Standard First Aid plus Infant and Child CPR course.

STEP 1 – Complete and Submit Instructor Application

Completed application must be approved by a Health and Safety Services Administrator before candidates may enroll in an Instructor Course.

Download Application Here

STEP 2 – Fundamentals of Instructor Training (FIT)

FIT is a 4.5-hour course covering teaching methods, qualities of an effective instructor and Red Cross history, policies and local chapter information. This course must be taken within twelve months of your participation in an instructor course. If you are a current Red Cross instructor in another discipline, the FIT requirement is already satisfied.

STEP 3 - Instructor Course

· For all Instructor courses, you must successfully demonstrate the basic level skills and pass the written test in the Pre-Course session in order to continue with the course.

· In the instructor course you will learn how to plan for and teach the classes associated with your particular discipline, answer participants' questions, conduct practice sessions, give effective feedback and evaluate skills. You will also learn about health precautions, training guidelines and administrative procedures. Successful completion of the Instructor course will give you the skills to be an effective instructor and to work within the Red Cross Health and Safety Services Instructional System.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP IN BECOMING AN AMERICAN RED CROSS INSTRUCTOR?

1. Send completed application to Fresno-Madera Counties Chapter 2002 N. Fine Ave., Fresno, CA 93727. Attention: Instructor Candidate Application. Application may also be faxed to (559) 458-7338. If you have questions about the instructor program, or the process to become an instructor, which are not explained in this document please email: march@fresnomaderaredcross.org or call (559)455-1000.

2. After your application has been approved, a Specialist will call you. The process, from the time you submit the application until you are called, takes approximately two weeks.

3. If you are taking the instructor course and are interested in volunteering, please indicate so on your application. Once your application has been approved, Volunteer Resources will contact you to complete a Volunteer Orientation and interview. The interview may be conducted over the phone and generally lasts about 15 minutes. If you have any questions about volunteering with the Fresno-Madera Counties Chapter contact Volunteer Specialist at (559) 455-1000.

I’m an Instructor! How do I volunteer? Can I co-teach before I teach on my own?

Once you are an authorized instructor, you may volunteer to teach Chapter courses by completing a Volunteer Orientation. After completing the orientation you will then need to complete a short (15-minute) telephone interview with Volunteer Specialist—(559) 455-1000. When that is complete, contact Instructor Support and we will facilitate scheduling you to teach a course. There are always courses when you have available time, and you will be contributing to helping prepare our community to be safer! When you are ready, email us at mach@fresnomaderaredcross.org. Or call—(559) 455-1000.

Before many instructors teach a course on their own, they often like to co-teach at the Chapter with an experienced Instructor. To co-teach at the Chapter follow the process above, and we will then schedule you with an experienced instructor at the nearest training center to your home or work!