POLICIES, PROCEDURES, and RULES
*** NOTE: For the purposes of our 2025 Provincial Competition.
All Forms and Additional Information may be found on this Official Website.
In an effort to improve upon the overall Competitions experience, the following “Policies, Procedures, and Rules” contain some changes from previous years. Many of these changes are a reflection of the direct input received from St. John Ambulance volunteers and staff from across the province.
- 1. Team Composition
- 2. Team Registration
- 3. Spare Competitors
- 4. Coaches
- 5. Competition Categories, Ages & Qualification
- 6. Standards
- 7. Equipment & Supplies
- 8. Casualties
- 9. Clothing/Dress
- 10. Scoring
- 11. Procedures
- 12. Outcomes
Participation in the Ontario Medical First Response Competitions is open to:
- SJA Community Services Medical First Responder (MFR) Members
- SJA Community Services Search and Rescue (SAR) Members
- SJA Campus Response Teams (CRT) Members
- SJA Car Seat Technicians
- SJA Therapy Dog Members (competing Therapy Dog members are not permitted to bring their dog(s) with them during the competition)
- SJA Adult Members
- SJA Youth Members
Since 2023, Teams entering these Competitions must be comprised of (2) two competitors who meet the requirements as specified in this document. In addition, teams may include an optional spare competitor (see below) who meets the same requirements.
All competitors must be bona fide members of St. John Ambulance. Competitors must be registered members of the Unit for which they are competing. Transfer of membership between Units for the purposes of competing is not permitted. Proof of membership may be required prior to (Registration Form) or, on the day of the event.
The specific definition of what constitutes a Unit, due to an extenuating circumstance, will be at the sole discretion of the Ontario Council Competitions Committee Chair based on the situation presented at the time of a Team Registration is being made.
All forms and documents are found on this official Competitions website and may be downloaded for either electronic or hard copy submission. Teams eligible for the Provincial Competition (must have placed in 1st place in their category within their Zone Competition) or by invitation by the Chairman of the Provincial Competition Committee, based on Provincial Competition scheduling (and/or a team’s ranking across the Province).
Teams are encouraged to identify additional volunteers such as casualties, Judges, and Casualty Simulators. This is not a requirement of registration. Names and contact coordinates (email address(es), telephone number(s) are to be forwarded to the Competition Committee and, if selected, these volunteers will be provided with the necessary documentation for their participation. Teams are being asked to provide (2) two additional volunteers to act as casualties. These individuals are not required to be active members of St. John but would be required to become Auxiliary Members of St. John under the Competition Group.
| For the Zone Competition |
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Deadlines are:
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| For the Provincial Competition |
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Deadlines are:
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Late submission and/or incomplete forms/documents will disqualify a team from competing. If time permits, teams may be contacted in an effort to correct incomplete forms or documents. NO extension to the final submission date will be permitted regardless of the cause(s).
Teams may (highly recommended) include a spare competitor. Spare competitors must be registered at the same time and on the same form as the competing team. Substitutions (using the team’s registered spare competitor) may be made prior to the morning of the event by notifying the Competition Committee. On the morning of the event, substitutions (using the team’s registered spare competitor) may be made at the registration desk. Once the competing teams are sequestered in their secure holding area(s), substitutions (using the team’s registered spare competitor) may be made only under extenuating circumstances and only with the approval of the Chief Judge.
i. Spare competitors will remain sequestered with their teams throughout the event.
ii. A competitor who has been replaced by the team’s spare after the event has commenced will be escorted from the secure holding area(s) and will become a member of the spectator gallery.
iii. Use of the team’s registered spare competitor will not be permitted to correct any breach of these rules which occurs prior to the start of this event or is identified during the event. Extenuating circumstances, once the event has commenced, will not include a competitor’s disqualification due to a breach of these rules
iv. The specific definition of what constitutes an extenuating circumstance will be at the sole discretion of the Chief Judge.
v. Authorized use of the team’s registered spare competitor at the Zone Competition can revert back to the the spare competitor at the Provincial Competition.
Coaches are encouraged to be with their teams during the briefing session. Following that, and once the competitors have been sequestered in their secure holding area(s), team Coaches may choose to:
a. stay sequestered with their team and accompany them to the various scenario sites. Coaches will not be permitted to communicate with their team members until they return to the secure holding area. If at any time throughout the competition the Coach decides to leave the secure holding area, they will become a member of the spectator gallery and will not be permitted re-entry to the secure hold area.
OR
b. be a member of the spectator gallery. Coaches will not be permitted entry into the secure holding area at any time throughout the competition nor will they be permitted to communicate with their team.
| CATEGORIES | AGES | QUALIFICATIONS |
| Youth | Eleven (11) to Fifteen (15) years of age in the year of competition** | Standard First Aid CPR C |
| Adult Standard | At least Sixteen (16) years of age as of April 26 2025 | Standard First Aid CPR C |
| Adult Advanced | At least Sixteen (16) years of age of April 26 2025 | Advanced Medical First Responder CPR HCP/BLS |
| Adult Professional | Eighteen (18) years of age, as of April 26 2025. |
Advanced Medical First Responder CPR HCP/BLS The composition of an Adult Professional team must include at least one competing Health Care Professional or Emergency First Responder Professional in the make-up of the competing team at all times. Community Service Units shall only be allowed to register one Adult Professional team comprised of a single Professional member.
A “competing team” does not refer to the Spare, unless the Spare is authorized to replace a member of the “competing team”.
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i. Competitors may be required to produce proof-of-age and/or certification either prior to (Registration Form) or, on the day of the event and shall not hold certification higher than the category permits.
ii. Competitors under the age of (16) sixteen as of the day of the event WILL REQUIRE parental/guardian consent to participate and MUST BE accompanied by their Youth Leader who may be required to produce the parental/guardian consent forms at the time of registration on the day of the event.
iii. “Health Care Professional” includes anyone licensed or registered by a professional health care body or College.
iv. “Emergency First Responder” includes anyone (full-time, part-time, volunteer) who is a firefighter, police officer, paramedic, military medic, mine rescue technician, or industrial first aider, or marine first aid.
The official reference for the Youth Category and the Adult Standard Category will be all material found in the St. John Ambulance – First Aid Reference Guide text. Resuscitation will be evaluated at CPR Level C.
The official reference for the Adult Advanced Category and the Adult Professional Category will be all material found in the St. John Ambulance – First Aid Reference Guide text and the St. John Ambulance – Medical First Responder Student Manual. Resuscitation will be evaluated at CPR Level HCP.
Any supplements to either of the above, printed and in use two or more months prior to the event, may be used as the standard upon which the first aid scenarios are based and judged.
The competition will be conducted in English.
| For the Zone Competition | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competing teams are required to supply their own first aid kits (two kits per team):
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| Competitors are not permitted to carry on their person any first aid equipment or supplies. All first aid equipment and supplies must be contained in the team’s first aid kits. Competitors may wear a personal ‘scissor holster’ which may only contain: 1 pair of scissors, 1 Penlight, 1 Pen and gloves. Adult Advanced and Professional team member participants may being and carry their own stethoscope (optional). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competing teams must ensure that they have a sufficient supply of authorized supplies and equipment so as to be able to restock their first aid kits between competition scenarios. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competitors may only use:
a. the first aid equipment and supplies found on the authorized kit lists (Patient Care Form – PDF) Authorized list of equipment and supplies that each competing team’s Zone first aid kit may contain:
b. (at the discretion of the Judges) any equipment, supplies, materials, etc. found in or around the first aid scenario site |
| For the Provincial Competition |
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Competitors will not be permitted to use their own first aid supplies or equipment. Competitors may wear a personal ‘scissor holster’ which may only contain: 1 pair of scissors, 1 Penlight, 1 Pen and gloves. Adult Advanced and Professional team member participants may being and carry their own stethoscope (optional). |
| On the morning of the event, competitors will be provided the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the issued supplies and equipment that may be used in the first aid scenarios. |
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Competitors may only use: a. the first aid equipment and supplies provided to them on the day of the event b. (at the discretion of the Judges) any equipment, supplies, materials, etc. found in or around the first aid scenario site. |
Authorized list of equipment and supplies that each competing team’s Industrial #3 first aid kit may contain:
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Ontario Kit
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#3
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QTY
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Description
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48
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Adhesive Bandages Box-Assorted 16 pieces
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1
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SJA-First Aid Pocket Guide
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12
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Triangular Bandages, 102 x102 x 142 cm, each
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24
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Assorted Safety Pins, 12 pieces/bag
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2
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Cloth Tape, 2.5cm x 4.5m
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48
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Gauze Pads, 7.5 cm x 7.5 cm, 6 pieces/box
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6
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Compress Bandage, 10 x 10 cm, each
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8
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Gauze Roll, 5cm x 4.5m., 4 pieces/box
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8
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Gauze Roll, 10cm x 4.5m., 2 pieces/box
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3
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Wooden Splints, 5 x 24cm
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3
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Wooden Splints, 5 x 32cm
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2
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Splint Padding, 12.5 x 22.5cm, 1 piece/box
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12
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Gauze Roll, 2.5cm x 9m, 12 pieces/box
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1
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Disposable Nitrile Gloves, Powder Free, Large, 1 pair/bag
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1
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CPR-Aid Rescuer Device, Single Use
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1
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Plastic Emesis Basin, 23cm, 500ml
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1
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Black Handle Universal Scissors, 15cm
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1
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Economy Forceps, 9cm
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1
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Foil Emergency Blanket (to be added to base kit)
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1
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Disposable Cold Compress Pack (to be added to base kit; can be a simulated item)
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As required by the first aid scenario design, casualties will be made-up using casualty simulation theatrical make-up and other supplies. While casualties are briefed on the symptoms that they are expected to portray, variations may occur and under such circumstances the Judge(s) will intervene and advise the competitors.
The age and gender of the casualties will be matched to the requirement of the first aid scenarios as best as can be achieved. Any variations will be communicated to the competitors by the Judge(s) at the start of each scenario.
During a first aid scenario, a competitor may be designated as a casualty (in addition to the simulated casualty provided). Under such circumstances, the (casualty) competitor must follow the directions of the Judge and not assist their fellow competitors in any manner other than as allowed for by the first aid scenario design.
- Competitors are required to wear their approved uniform while competing. Individual team uniforms are not permitted.
- First aid scenarios may take place in outdoor (regardless of weather conditions) and/or indoor environments. Competitors must ensure that they have appropriate clothing (with them at the time of registration) for the weather conditions on the day of the event.
- Competitors will not be permitted to wear or carry anything other than their personal clothing. Competitors are not permitted to have in their possession, at any time throughout the event day, any communications devices such as, but not limited to: cell Phones, smart watches, tablets, computers, two-way radios, etc.
i. Competitors will be judged based on their application of the principles of first aid assessment and treatment within their category.
ii. Competitors may also be judged on other skills and knowledge such as, but not limited to: appropriate risk-taking, critical thinking, ingenuity, leadership, improvisation, team work, etc.
iii. In the event of a tie between teams, a tie-breaking procedure will be followed under the supervision of the Competitions Committee.
i. On the day of the event, all competitors must be signed-in at the registration desk and be ready for their briefing by 0830hrs (Zone Registration times may vary). Those arriving after this time, at the discretion of the Chief Judge, may be permitted to participate but will not be eligible for any awards.
ii. Competitors must be prepared to be sequestered in a secure holding area for the duration of the event following their morning briefing session. They are encouraged to bring reading materials, playing cards, games, etc. for use during periods when they are not actively competing.
iii. Competitors must have all their personal clothing with them in the holding area (uniform, outdoor clothing, etc.)
iv. Competitors must have personal items such as medications, etc. with them in the holding area.
v. Competitors are not permitted to communicate in any manner with casualties, spectators, and casualty simulators, etc. following their morning briefing session. During the scenarios, however, competitors are encouraged to speak in a loud and audible voice so as to be heard by their assigned casualties and judges; but not so loud so as to be disruptive to other competitors.
vi. During the first aid scenarios, judges may ask for clarification if the competitors’ actions are not readily understood. Judges will not, however, provide any additional information to competitors nor answer any questions except as allowed for by the scenario design.
i. Failure to comply with any, or all, of the above rules may, at the discretion of the Competitions Committee, require that a competitor or team be disqualified from competing in this event.
ii. Teams and/or competitors who have been disqualified will be required to leave the secure holding area(s) and will become members of the spectator gallery.
iii. Teams and/or competitors who have been disqualified are not eligible to receive any awards.
iv. Depending on the severity of the breach to these rules, competitors who have been disqualified may, be barred from competing in future Ontario Medical First Responder Competitions.
We look forward to seeing you at the competitions! Follow us on our social media accounts. For more information email zonelead@omfrc.ca.
