Behind the whiteboard

Matariki is a time to look back at the journeys that brought us here, the places that shaped us, the traditions we carry, and what we have come to love about calling Aotearoa | New Zealand home. This is the first of two posts introducing you to the journeys that have shaped the CFA team. Today, our senior team. Next week, our newest voices. Each person was asked three questions and invited to share a photo from somewhere special to them. Vicky | 8 years as co-owner and managi

Thanks, Gemini, for helping me create this little introduction. At City First Aid, reflection is part of how we improve our training and your experience from booking to leaving reviews. Three principles sit underneath our greater work: Protection, Participation, and Partnership. Sound familiar? They are core principles in how we honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and are also foundational to how we work as a training provider here in Aotearoa | New Zealand. Protection means protect

One of the things we enjoy about our Behind the Whiteboard series is sharing the experiences and observations that sit behind the teaching. This week, Brian, one of CFA's owners and directors, draws on a lifetime of winter travel across New Zealand, from city streets to the open roads of Canterbury and Otago Lessons from the Ice: A Lifetime of Winter Travel By Brian There are some lessons in life that stay with you forever. Others, we learn twice. Growing up in Rotorua, winte

Weekend warrior or seasoned athlete, winter sports put massive strain on your body. Nick explores seasonal injuries this week, and how to treat them before they sideline your season. And a surprise risk we don't often think about plus the simple steps that can make a big difference when things don't go to plan. Winter Sports Injuries: Staying Safe in the Snow By Nick Howard I still remember one of my first proper winter walks. We stopped for lunch, and my friend pulled out he

In our beautiful country of Aotearoa New Zealand, the winter months can bring with them some sights that take your breath away. On a recent trip to Tekapo and Aoraki Mt Cook, with crisp winter mornings and late autumn colour, I got to experience some of this breathtaking scenery. Unfortunately, as we head into the winter months, there are also less pleasant things that can take our breath away. A selection of respiratory bugs and nasties come out to play as we hunker down aro

I (Jodie) remember one hike where the day started with clear blue skies and only a light breeze. Despite checking the forecast before heading out, low cloud rolled in, the wind picked up, and a steady rain soon followed. Even though I wasn't far from shelter, I was surprised by how quickly I went from feeling comfortable to feeling cold and miserable. My mindset shifted from taking in the scenery to simply staying warm. I found myself walking faster, hunching my shoulders aga

This morning I woke up to my alarm. That doesn't happen very often. Most mornings I'm awake before it starts playing its cheerful little tune, but today, it won. Once I slid it to off, I started thinking about alarms in general. Some alarms are urgent. The smoke alarm going off in the middle of the night definitely gets my attention. Others are much gentler. A reminder that it's time to leave for an appointment, pick up a granddaughter, or a dinner reservation with my sweethe

Small Ones. Big Questions. There is something uniquely vulnerable about being responsible for a tiny human. Not just because babies and children can become sick quickly, but because parenting is often carried out while exhausted, overstimulated, second-guessing yourself, and trying to make decisions under pressure when your brain went to bed 4 hours ago. Add conflicting advice, social media panic, and well-meaning opinions from everyone around you, and it can feel overwhelmin

I can't count how many times we've heard this same story, before class and during class, in private and out in the open. "I can't do exams. They make me freeze, or I can't read, or I have dyslexia." Even within my own family some became the class clown, because being funny and getting sent out was easier than failing. So many carry that same fear and bring it along to first aid training. We get it. We understand and have been there too. That fear is why we are so relieved tha

I’ve taught first aid in a lot of places. Boardrooms, community halls, tents, aircraft hangars, and garages, once under the watchful glass eyes of a mounted deer head named Bruce. Bruce never blinked or said a word. That’s what I call excellent focus. I’ve rocked babies to sleep in my arms, or walked around the room with them trying to get them to sleep, while watching their mama complete her assessment on the mat in front of me. I’ve worked around dogs, toddlers, and at leas

I'm so far behind the whiteboard this week I'm sitting at my computer in the office. Today I'm Office Gail. One of the team that answers the emails, fields the phone calls, and apparently makes videos in between. So when I'm not Teaching Gail, I'm Office Gail or NZQA Gail. And the question that lands in our ears more than any other is: “Which course do I actually need?” So I made a video. Here it is. But if you'd rather read than watch, here’s the simple version. The short an

Every week I'm going to write something real from the classroom. Not just tips, not just press releases - just honest stories from behind the whiteboard. This week, we're starting with why you should never be afraid to say the wrong thing in class. There are no dumb questions. You probably aren't asking something we haven't been asked before.... come, ask, find out, be curious...it's okay of you mess up...Spoiler: nobody says worse things than me. "Put your kids under your ca