First Aid and Fire Safety
annual instruction under the German ArbSchG, DGUV Vorschrift 1 and ASR A2.2 — free, with certificate, in English
- 30–50 min
- 18 modules
- Free certificate
- No account needed
- Updated November 2026
This course is also available in: Deutsch Türkçe Русский العربية Українська Polski
👥 Target group: All employees in offices, administration, trade, services and smaller companies who work in Germany and prefer to learn in English, New employees before starting work (initial instruction under Section 12 ArbSchG)
Which legal duty or standard requirement does this training cover?
About this training
First aid and fire safety answer the same question: what do I do in the first minutes, before the ambulance service or the fire brigade arrives? Almost everything is decided in those minutes — and in those minutes you are the one responsible. Section 12 of the German Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG) and Section 4 of DGUV Vorschrift 1 therefore require every employee to be instructed at least once a year; Section 10 ArbSchG obliges the employer to organise first aid, fire fighting and evacuation.
This online instruction is the English-language edition of our German course, written for employees who work in Germany but do not read German. The law that applies is German law, explained in plain English; the German edition is the authoritative version. It covers the general part as of 2026: the legal framework, the number and training of first aiders, first-aid kits under DIN 13157 and 13169, the emergency call 112 with the five W questions, finding an unresponsive person and resuscitation under the ERC Guidelines 2025 (Check — Call — Compress, 5 to 6 centimetres, 100 to 120 per minute, AED), the recovery position, wounds, bleeding and shock, burns and smoke, documentation in the reporting pad with five years of retention — and in fire safety the fire classes, preventive fire protection, handling fire extinguishers and their inspection every two years, fire safety assistants under ASR A2.2 (version of 23 May 2025), fire safety regulations and the escape and rescue plan, and behaviour in case of fire on a worked case study. 18 modules, 22 questions, certificate of participation with a verifiable number and the complete list of topics.
What this course covers — and what it does not: The course fulfils the general part of the annual instruction under Section 12 ArbSchG and Section 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1 and documents it with a certificate. It is not a first-aider course: you become a company first aider only by attending the course of nine teaching units at a provider authorised by the accident insurance institution (Section 26 DGUV Vorschrift 1). It is not a fire safety assistant training: DGUV Information 205-023 requires a practical extinguishing exercise for that. The company-specific part — first aiders and fire safety assistants by name, locations of first-aid kit, AED and fire extinguishers, reporting path, assembly point — only your company knows; that is what the module "Procedure in our company" is for. The course does not replace a risk assessment or an evacuation drill. It explains German law in English; it does not cover the law of other countries. This is a translation of the German course — in case of doubt the German edition applies.
Contents at a glance
- What this course is about — and what it is notScope: annual instruction under Section 12 ArbSchG and Section 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1 — not a first-aider course (9 teaching units) and not a fire safety assistant training
- The legal framework in one placeLegal framework: Sections 10 and 12 ArbSchG, Sections 4, 24–28 DGUV Vorschrift 1, ASR A1.3, A2.2 (version of 23 May 2025), A2.3, A4.3, ERC Guidelines 2025
- First aiders, first-aid equipment and first-aid roomsOrganisation of first aid: number of first aiders under Section 26 DGUV Vorschrift 1, training at authorised providers, refresher every two years; equipment under DIN 13157 and DIN 13169, inspection duties, signs under DIN EN ISO 7010
- The chain of survival and the emergency callChain of survival and emergency call 112: the five W questions, waiting for questions, guiding the ambulance service in, securing the accident scene and self-protection
- Finding an unresponsive personSelf-protection and finding an unresponsive person under the ERC Guidelines 2025: Check — Call — Compress, emergency call before the breathing check, recognising agonal gasps
- Resuscitation and AEDCardiopulmonary resuscitation under ERC 2025: 5–6 cm deep, 100–120/min, 30:2 or without interruption; using an AED, telephone CPR
- Unconsciousness and the recovery positionUnconsciousness, airways and recovery position — only with normal breathing, monitor breathing continuously, cover the person
- Wounds, severe bleeding, shockWound care with disposable gloves and sterile covering, pressure bandage for severe bleeding, recognising shock and the 8-B rule for the shock position
- Burns, chemical burns, smoke inhalationBurns (cooling only for small areas, briefly, with water of about 20 °C; no cooling of large areas), chemical burns and smoke inhalation poisoning
- Documenting the first-aid measureDocumentation of the first-aid measure: Section 24(6) DGUV Vorschrift 1, reporting pad under DGUV Information 204-021, kept for five years, data protection, accident insurance consultant (Durchgangsarzt) and accident report under Section 193 SGB VII
- How fires start — fire classes and extinguishing agentsHow fires start (fire triangle), fire classes A to F under DIN EN 2 and choosing the right extinguishing agent; never water on a fat fire
- Preventive fire protection in everyday workPreventive fire protection in everyday work: ignition sources, power strips, qualified electrician, lithium-ion batteries, keeping escape routes and fire doors clear
- Using fire extinguishers correctlyFire-fighting equipment: operation, extinguishing tactics, extinguishing agent units and walking distances under ASR A2.2, sign F001, maintenance every two years by a competent person (ASR A2.2 point 7.4.2, DIN 14406-4)
- Fire safety organisation in the companyFire safety organisation: fire safety assistants under Section 10 ArbSchG and ASR A2.2 point 7.3 (5 % of employees with normal fire hazard), training under DGUV Information 205-023 with extinguishing exercise, repetition, further roles
- Fire safety regulations and the escape and rescue planFire safety regulations under DIN 14096 (part A for everyone, part B for employees, part C for special tasks), escape and rescue plan under DIN ISO 23601, escape routes under ASR A2.3, signs under DIN EN ISO 7010
- Case study: behaviour in case of fire and evacuationBehaviour in case of fire, evacuation and assembly point — decision path on a case study (fat fire in the kitchenette with an injured colleague): alert, warn, rescue, extinguish only an incipient fire
- Procedure in our companyProcedure in our company: first aiders and fire safety assistants, locations of first-aid kit, AED and fire extinguishers, reporting path, assembly point, escape and rescue plan, first-aid logbook — to be completed by the company
- Keeping records and repetitionRecords: documentation of the instruction (date, participants, content, proof of participation), annual repetition and occasions, who must take part, certificate kept by the employer
Frequently asked questions
Does the course fulfil the annual instruction duty?
It fulfils the general part under Section 12 ArbSchG and Section 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1 and documents it with a certificate. The company-specific part — who the first aiders and fire safety assistants are, where first-aid kit, AED and fire extinguishers hang, where the assembly point is — is added by your company; as a fixed-price customisation we fill in the module "Procedure in our company" for you.
Am I a first aider or fire safety assistant after the course?
No. You become a company first aider only by attending the course of nine teaching units at an authorised provider (Section 26 DGUV Vorschrift 1); fire safety assistants need a practical extinguishing exercise (DGUV Information 205-023). The course is the annual instruction of all employees — not the training for these functions.
Which law does the course explain?
German law — the Arbeitsschutzgesetz, DGUV Vorschrift 1, the technical rules for workplaces (ASR) and the European resuscitation guidelines. The course is for employees who work in Germany but do not read German. It is a translation of our German course "Erste Hilfe und Brandschutz" with the same content and the same certificate; in case of doubt the German edition applies.
Is the course free?
Yes. No registration, no payment details. You only enter your e-mail address so that the certificate can be delivered.
How often must the instruction be repeated?
At least once a year (Section 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1, ASR A2.2 point 7.2), and in addition when hired, transferred, when new work equipment is introduced and after special incidents.
Is the course up to date?
Yes: resuscitation under the ERC Guidelines of 22 October 2025 (emergency call before the breathing check), fire safety under ASR A2.2 in the version of 23 May 2025, first-aid kits under DIN 13157 and 13169 (2021-11). The technical content is reviewed every year.
What is on the certificate?
Name, course, date, result, the complete list of the 18 training contents, the legal bases with the note on the company-specific part, and a certificate number that can be verified on the Academy's verification page.