Forestry environments are typically remote, and it can take time for emergency services to respond promptly.
Contractors, hauliers and anyone else working on Forestry Commission land has to show that their first aid provision meets Forest Industry Safety Accord (FISA) and HSE guidance. That means assessing what is needed, putting trained people, equipment and emergency procedures in place, and recording it. In practice, forestry crews meet this with a workplace first aid training course plus the forestry “+F” element.
This brief guide will cover what to expect in these and other workplace first aid courses.
Last reviewed: September 2026 — checked against Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2025.
What Is Forestry First Aid?
The remote nature of forestry work means it isn’t a guarantee that dedicated medical services will be able to respond to any workplace injuries or accidents in time.
Workplaces must equip and train on-site first aiders to administer and oversee treatments in an emergency effectively.
Any workers who take the standard First Aid at Work (FAW) course can be further supported by workers who take the Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course.
What Should You Expect in a Forestry First Aid Course?
When undergoing this emergency first aid course, you will learn the necessary skills to treat and administer first aid at work quickly.
The short course will cover a variety of emergency first-aid situations, including how to use a first-aid kit and workplace-relevant emergencies.
Some trainers may complete the training period with a multiple-choice question paper and a practical assessment at the end of the course.
Standard Syllabus
The typical topics for a forestry first aid course are as follows:
- Suspension injuries
- Crush injuries
- How to control life-threatening bleeding, including wound packing, haemostatic dressings and tourniquets
- Severe bleeding
- Treating a chainsaw injury
- Lyme disease
- Treating hypothermia and exposure
- Lightning injuries
Note that the above topics are taught in addition to the regular course content.
If you trained before 2024 you may know the third item on that list as “catastrophic bleeding”. The 2024 revision of the HSE first aid guidance, L74, replaced that phrase with “life-threatening bleeding” and added guidance on what employers should do where the needs assessment identifies it as a risk. Appendix 4 of L74 names agriculture, forestry, construction and remote working locations as exactly the settings where first aiders may need extra training in haemostatic dressings, wound packing and tourniquets, so this is core forestry content rather than an optional extra.
Forestry First Aid Courses
The forestry industry carries a different set of workplace-related injuries than other industries.
Forestry England’s published first aid policy does not set a single fixed course for everyone. It requires anyone working on Forestry Commission land to comply with FISA and HSE guidance by assessing their first aid requirements, putting appropriate trained individuals, equipment and emergency procedures in place, and recording what has been provided. The number of first aiders you need comes out of that assessment, and FISA 802 points out you may well need more than one on site depending on the work and how many people are present.
Successful candidates receive a certificate covering the workplace qualification and the Forestry First Aid (+F) element. L74 allows the extra training to sit on a separate certificate or be combined with the FAW/EFAW certificate, but either way the certificate has to record the detail of the additional training undertaken.
The +F Routes Explained
Lantra sets the land-based +F standards, and its courses are written to comply with the Forestry Commission +F requirement in the First Aid at Work – Forestry Commission Policy, in consultation with FISA. There are four main routes:
- Emergency First Aid at Work +F – one full attended and assessed day. It is aimed at workplaces where the employer’s first aid needs assessment has concluded that a first aider fully trained in First Aid at Work is not necessary.
- First Aid at Work +F – three days of training and assessment, building on EFAW and/or FAW, and the route most often specified for higher-hazard operations such as chainsaw work.
- +F First Aid – a half-day stand-alone top-up for people who already hold a current FAW or EFAW certificate. You have to show proof of that certificate to book it.
- First Aid at Work +F Requalification – a two-day course, which has to be taken within one month of your certificate expiring.
For reference, HSE expects a full FAW course to run to at least 18 hours over a minimum of three days, a FAW requalification to at least 12 hours over two days, and EFAW to at least six hours over one day. The +F content is taught on top of that.
All first aid at work certificates are valid for 3 years. Employers need to arrange retraining before the certificate expires; leave a FAW requalification more than a month past expiry and the full course has to be taken again.
HSE strongly recommends annual refresher training during the three-year certification period. It is not mandatory, but it helps first aiders keep their skills current and stay up to date with changes to first aid procedures.
Group bookings are also available for employers and workplaces that wish to avail of a discount.
Forestry First Aid Training
Forestry workers situated in more remote areas need to be prepared to administer first aid at work in emergency situations.
Fortunately, several training companies provide training for workers in forestry or natural environment-related industries, such as Hunters, Arborists, or Civil Engineering contractors.
More training and work courses are available for workers requiring additional training and certification.
These include a Wilderness and Outdoor course to help workers deal with emergencies in remote areas.
Emergency First Aid at Work + Forestry
The FAW and EFAW +F courses are recommended for employers and workers who work in higher-hazard environments.
Several training providers have combined the Emergency First Aid at Work course (EFAW) with the Forestry First Aid training courses for a more inclusive package.
This is the EFAW +F course and can be delivered either at the trainer’s provided facilities or on-site at your workplace.
Employers who wish to have the course delivered on-site must coordinate with their chosen trainer and have their workplace inspected beforehand.
Choosing a Forestry First Aid Provider
HSE has not approved or certified first aid training providers for years. Selecting a competent provider is the employer’s job, and HSE sets out how to do it in its free guide GEIS3 Selecting a first-aid training provider.
Two points matter particularly in forestry:
- Blended learning is allowed, but the practical work should be face to face. HSE accepts a mix of e-learning and classroom delivery, and strongly recommends that practical elements are assessed by direct observation. In August 2025 FISA went further and stated that it strongly recommends forestry first aid training is delivered face to face, because a forestry first aider may have to manage a casualty for a long time and needs hands-on practice with the equipment.
- Tell the provider about your hazards. L74 asks employers to let the training organisation know about particular workplace hazards so the course can be tailored – for forestry that means chainsaw wounds, crush and suspension injuries, remote access and life-threatening bleeding.
Training also has to be taught in line with current Resuscitation Council UK guidance. The RCUK Guidelines 2025 have applied to training materials since January 2026, so check that whoever you book is teaching to that edition.
Forestry Commission First Aid Policy
The Forestry Commission policy recommends ensuring that any workplaces that use Forestry Commission land have trained individuals who can provide treatment during emergencies.
This includes providing proper equipment and certifying workers have undergone a short first aid course.
A typical First Aid at Work (FAW) course is often designed in urban environments, where emergency responders can quickly arrive on the scene.
Unfortunately, forestry environments are remote and may be inaccessible to vehicles, requiring first aiders to look after any casualties for longer than in an urban environment.
That is why the site emergency plan matters as much as the certificate. FISA Safety Guide 802 covers emergency planning and comes with a template form you can fill in and print for the site.
What FISA 802 Asks You to Check
- Location. Record longitude and latitude, the OS grid reference, the nearest postcode and a what3words reference for both the access point and the work site – a postcode on its own is not good enough in a forest. Write down the directions from the postcode to the forest entrance, and from the entrance to the site.
- Phone signal. Check whether there is a usable mobile signal. If there is not, find out where one can be picked up and register for the 999 Text Service beforehand – registration has to be done in advance to be any use.
- Access. Plan how you will guide an ambulance crew through the forest. If casualty evacuation might depend on Mountain Rescue, everyone needs to know to ask for the Police when calling 999 and to ask the Police to arrange Mountain Rescue.
- Kit. A forestry first aid kit has to suit the work. FISA expects haemostatic dressings and a tourniquet, which it describes as essential for chainsaw operators and deer stalkers, plus gloves and a resuscitation face shield, with foil blankets, burn dressings or bivvi bags added where needed.
- Contacts. Test the plan by checking every grid reference, postcode and phone number, including the nearest A&E department and minor injuries unit.
Two habits are worth drilling alongside the plan. Under the Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2025, call 999 for any unresponsive casualty before you assess their breathing, and put the phone on speaker so the ambulance call handler can talk you through what to do. And if someone is trapped or pinned by a machine or a tree, FISA advises releasing the pressure only if it can be done within 10 minutes of the incident and only if it is safe to do so; otherwise wait for the emergency services.
Conclusion
Preparedness is essential in the forestry industry, where workplace injuries and accidents must be treated properly long before emergency services arrive.
Employers must ensure their workplaces and employees are properly equipped and their workers are trained to administer first aid during emergencies.
Become a qualified gas engineer
Our New Entrant Gas Engineer courses take you from beginner to Gas Safe registered, with hands-on training and the ACS qualifications employers look for.
Blog categories
Keep up to date with the latest news from
Skills training group.