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Pacific First Aid: Building Up Young Leaders and Saving Lives
Pacific First Aid: Building Up Young Leaders and Saving Lives
No one ever hopes to use their first aid skills and training, but when an emergency happens, it’s a relief to have it—especially when it can be the difference between saving or losing a life.
When Bryan Wong, founder and CEO of Pacific First Aid (PFA), started his business, his goal was to help young people become leaders, but his passion for mentorship started well before his business was even a daydream.
“I was fortunate to grow up with strong mentors I could rely on and role models I look up to,” said Wong. “These people are the ones who inspired me to become a mentor and role model myself—especially to young people. I combined my goal with my passion for first aid, and created PFA. Honestly, I never thought it would grow as much as it did!”
With over 15 years of first aid volunteering and training experience in the industry, Wong opened PFA in 2009 with the vision of building a company committed to providing quality safety training and supplies. In the past 13 years, PFA has scaled to a well-established first aid instructor and training centre, a Canadian Red Cross partner, and a respected supplier to many training schools.
“Many of the youths that I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside have gone on to create their own business, attend medical school, or walk their own great journey,” Wong recalled. “Some of them even go on to mentor others.”
Leadership skills can be developed in many ways, from gaining new knowledge through educational courses, learning on the job, or through life experiences.
PFA aims to ensure that young people are prepared to take on emergency situations with confidence, knowledge, and leadership, building a safer and stronger community for us all.
“For those interested in developing leadership skills through first aid, we are always running our First Aid Instructor, Emergency First Aid, Standard First Aid, and Emergency Child Care courses,” Wong explained. “We also offer courses geared towards youths, such as the Babysitting Course, Psychological First Aid, and other online programs.”
Preparation comes in many forms. PFA also offers first aid kits, complete with everything you might need in case of an emergency. Whether at home, at work, in your car, on a trip, or in a natural disaster emergency, you can rest assured that PFA has thought of everything so that you don’t have to.
—Alec Yu, former PFA student
With experienced instructors with years of on-the-job knowledge, PFA focuses on practical skills that prepare people, young and old, for any major or minor emergencies they may encounter in their daily lives.
“If there was a ‘secret sauce’ for how we succeeded, I would say that first and foremost, we are passionate about what we do,” said Wong. “We stand by what we do transparently and authentically, do our best to be personable, and offer help whenever we can. Whether it’s your very first first aid course, or your 10th, we do our best to give you the tools you need to become a confident first aider in your community.”
