American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, provides relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

To support the mission of the American Red Cross, nearly 1.3 million employees and volunteers serve throughout the United States and its territories, and on military installations around the world. Supported by the resources of a national organization, they form the largest volunteer service and educational force in the nation. They help people prevent, prepare for and cope with emergencies, whether those emergencies involve blood, disaster, social services, or health and safety.

Every year, the Red Cross trains some 11 million people in lifesaving skills. Red Cross first aid, CPR and AED programs are designed to give you the confidence to respond in an emergency situation with skills that can save a life. The American Red Cross has been the leader in swimming and lifeguarding since 1914, and we teach preparedness courses to help families and communities prepare for all kinds of emergencies and disasters.

American Heart Association, is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Founded by six cardiologists in 1924, our organization now includes more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters. They fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide critical tools and information to save and improve lives.

Their nationwide organization includes 156 local offices and more than 3,000 employees. They moved our national headquarters from New York to Dallas in 1975 to be more centrally located. The American Stroke Association was created as a division in 1997 to bring together the organization�s stroke-related activities.

Their mission is to improve the lives of all Americans and provide public health education in a variety of ways. They�re the nation�s leader in CPR education training. They help people understand the importance of healthy lifestyle choices. They provide science-based treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals to help them provide quality care to their patients. They educate lawmakers, policymakers and the public as they advocate for changes to protect and improve the health of our communities.

Emergency First Response is the fastest-growing international CPR, AED and first aid training organization. With more than 31,000 instructors worldwide, Emergency First Response is backed by 36 years of experience in the development and delivery of instructional courses, training materials and educational curricula. Emergency First Response courses have gained widespread international acceptance.

Emergency First Response's course curricula are based on patient care standards as published in the American Heart Association Guidelines 2010 Standards for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, and the consensus view of the Basic Life Support (BLS) Working Group of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). ILCOR is an international standards group representing most of the world's major resuscitation organizations.

Focused on training the lay rescuer, the Emergency First Response approach to training builds confidence in lay rescuers and increases their willingness to respond when faced with a medical emergency by teaching them the skills they need in a non-stressful learning environment. Participants are also given as much practice as necessary to master and retain these skills.

Click Here for a list of accrediting organizations.