Crockett Fire Department
Level Two Instructor
Training & Alignment Manual

This policy establishes the standardized process that Level Two Instructors operating under the Crockett Fire Department (CFD) in affiliation with Ella Med must follow when training new American Heart Association (AHA) instructors in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Heartsaver disciplines. It applies to all Level Two Instructors who prepare, train, and monitor instructor candidates who will be aligned with Ella Med as their Training Site.

The Level Two Instructor is authorized to train any qualified individual — including but not limited to Crockett Fire Department members, other fire/EMS personnel, hospital or clinic staff, nursing students, or community members — who meets the prerequisite provider requirements and wishes to become an AHA instructor aligned with Ella Med. The instructor may set their own training rates for these non‑CFD trainees and retains all earned revenue; the department benefits from a broad, well‑trained emergency response community.

The purpose of this manual is to ensure that every candidate is properly credentialed, trained, documented, and aligned — in full compliance with AHA requirements, Ella Med policies, and any applicable Crockett Fire Department standard operating procedures. This manual also defines responsibilities related to equipment use, departmental reporting, card ordering, paperwork management in Enrollware, and proper use of the AHA Instructor Network. All training conducted under this manual shall meet or exceed the standards set by the Crockett Fire Department's administration and the Ella Med Training Center Coordinator.

Before any instructor training begins, the Level Two Instructor must verify that the candidate holds a current, unexpired AHA provider level certification in the specific discipline they wish to teach — for example, a BLS Provider card for a future BLS Instructor, or a Heartsaver First Aid/CPR/AED card for a future Heartsaver Instructor. There must be no lapse in provider certification at any point in the instructor pathway.

The Level Two Instructor shall:

Important for Crockett FD personnel: Fire department members who hold a BLS Provider card through their department must ensure that the card was issued by an AHA Training Center and is not a departmental challenge card unless specifically accepted by Ella Med. If a candidate's provider card has expired, they are not eligible to proceed until they complete a full provider renewal course with an authorized instructor, outside of their own instructor candidacy. The Level Two Instructor will emphasize that instructor status at Ella Med — and credibility within the department — is built on solid, current provider competence, not merely past certification.

Ella Med aligned instructors are expected to maintain both provider and instructor certifications continuously, renewing each every two years.

Once provider competency is confirmed, the Level Two Instructor must direct the candidate to complete the appropriate AHA online Instructor Essentials course. BLS Instructor candidates complete the BLS Instructor Essentials Online; Heartsaver Instructor candidates complete the Heartsaver Instructor Essentials Online.

The Level Two Instructor is responsible for:

The Instructor Essentials course introduces AHA teaching philosophy, course formats, testing standards, and instructor duties. It is mandatory pre‑work, not optional. The Level Two Instructor should encourage the candidate to take notes and come prepared to discuss:

This baseline knowledge ensures that the in‑person course can focus on hands‑on application, department‑specific protocols, and Ella Med's operational expectations.

After the Instructor Essentials course is completed, the candidate attends an in‑person instructor course conducted by a Level Two Instructor or designated faculty. This course is held at a Crockett Fire Department training facility or an Ella Med approved location, as coordinated by the Level Two Instructor and department training officer.

During the in‑person course, the Level Two Instructor will:

Time must be reserved for candidate questions. By the end of the in‑person course, the candidate must clearly understand both AHA standards and the administrative boundaries of operating as a CFD affiliated instructor under Ella Med.

Within the in‑person course — and reinforced during monitoring — the Level Two Instructor must facilitate hands‑on teaching practice. The candidate will rehearse leading key components of a class, including high‑quality adult, child, and infant CPR with compressions and ventilations; AED operation and troubleshooting; team dynamics during resuscitation; and Heartsaver first aid skills such as bleeding control, splinting, and epinephrine auto‑injector use where applicable.

The Level Two Instructor coaches the candidate on:

The candidate must be trained to deliver the AHA course exactly as designed. This includes playing the official AHA videos in the proper sequence; understanding when pausing is permitted; recognizing that no portion of the core curriculum may be skipped, altered, or supplemented with non‑AHA content unless authorized; and noting that deviation from AHA standards can jeopardize instructor status, Ella Med's Training Site authorization, and the reputation of the Crockett Fire Department.

Candidates will practice facilitating at least two complete lesson segments, with the Level Two Instructor providing written feedback on a department‑approved evaluation form.

Monitoring is a formal evaluation, distinct from practice teaching. Each new instructor candidate must be monitored while independently teaching a full provider‑level course. The monitoring session must be scheduled in advance through the CFD training calendar, must be completed within six months of the in‑person instructor course or per Ella Med's current monitoring policy, and must be conducted by a Level Two Instructor or designated faculty observer who holds current AHA instructor status in the relevant discipline.

During the monitored class, the candidate is expected to:

The observer uses the AHA Instructor Monitoring Tool or an approved department equivalent to evaluate the candidate's performance. The observer does not co‑teach or assist unless a safety or critical compliance issue arises.

If the candidate is significantly unprepared, late, or fails to meet requirements, the monitoring session may be terminated and rescheduled. A rescheduling fee may apply per Ella Med policy, and the candidate must complete documented remediation before a second attempt. A successfully completed monitoring form is filed permanently with both Ella Med and the Crockett Fire Department training records.

Instructors aligned with Ella Med through the Crockett Fire Department program are independent contractors, not employees of Ella Med or the department, unless they hold a separate employment relationship with CFD. Regardless of employment status, all instructors must:

Instructors are responsible for their own liability insurance, business practices, and tax obligations. Neither Ella Med nor the Crockett Fire Department assumes responsibility for legal or financial disputes between instructors and their clients or students. Violation of these responsibilities may result in suspension or termination of alignment with Ella Med and removal from CFD's instructor roster.

All AHA course completion cards for classes taught under the CFD/Ella Med affiliation must be ordered and distributed exclusively through Ella Med's Training Center. After the class is completed and all Enrollware documentation is finalized, the instructor submits a card order request to the Ella Med Training Center Coordinator. The Coordinator uses the security code issued by AHA to place the order through ManikinsPlus.store, Ella Med's designated online store. No individual instructor is permitted to order cards directly from the AHA, access the security code, or share it with anyone else.

Any attempt to bypass the Training Center Coordinator, obtain the security code, or order cards outside the approved process is considered a serious compliance violation and will result in immediate suspension pending investigation.

Enrollware is the central platform used by Ella Med for class management. The Level Two Instructor must train new instructors on how to create a class and set the location, which may be a Crockett Fire Department address; how to enter student data accurately; and how to record written exam scores, which must meet the Ella Med minimum passing score, currently 84%.

Instructors must also learn how to upload:

Instructors must understand how to finalize the class roster, confirming that all documents are attached and no required fields are blank.

All training records must be complete, organized, and retained for at least three years, consistent with AHA expectations and any CFD document retention policies. Incomplete or inaccurate paperwork will delay card processing and may trigger an audit. The Level Two Instructor must reinforce that timely, accurate documentation is a core professional obligation, not an administrative afterthought.

For Crockett Fire Department internal courses, an additional copy of the roster and any incident reports may be required by the department training officer.

After the Level Two Instructor has completed all training steps — including the provider skills check, Instructor Essentials, in‑person course, and successful monitoring — it is time to submit the candidate's instructor paperwork. The paperwork packet, either uploaded to Enrollware as an instructor course or emailed to Ella Med per current procedure, must include:

Critical prerequisite: Before submitting, the Level Two Instructor must verify that the candidate has requested alignment to Ella Med on the AHA Instructor Network. The candidate logs into the Instructor Network, searches for Training Site ID TS 44546, and submits an alignment request. If this step is missed, Ella Med cannot accept the candidate, and the process will stall.

Once the complete packet is received and the alignment request is confirmed, Ella Med reviews the file and accepts the instructor on the network. The instructor is then officially aligned and may begin teaching courses under Ella Med and CFD auspices, following all policies set forth in this manual.

Alignment delays almost always arise from two preventable causes: the candidate fails to request alignment to the correct Training Site ID, or the paperwork packet is incomplete or illegible. To minimize delays, the Level Two Instructor must incorporate a pre‑submission readiness check into their workflow.

Ask the candidate to log into the AHA Instructor Network in your presence, or show a confirmation screen, confirming they requested alignment to Ella Med — Training Site ID TS 44546.

Submit the complete packet either through Enrollware if that pathway is active, or via email to the Ella Med Training Center Coordinator, copying the CFD training officer as necessary.

Adopting this discipline prevents the weeks‑long back‑and‑forth that otherwise occurs when something is missing, and it allows new instructors to begin teaching — and serving the community — sooner.

The fee for Level Two Instructor alignment has already been paid. There are no additional fees to maintain Level Two status itself.

For each new instructor who completes the training program and is aligned under Ella Med, a $22.00 fee is due per instructor card issued. This fee is payable by the Crockett Fire Department or the Level Two Instructor as representative to Ella Med at the time of paperwork submission.

The Level Two Instructor is permitted to train and submit up to six (6) new instructor candidates in any 12‑month period, and up to twelve (12) candidates in a 24‑month period, without additional charge. If the Level Two Instructor wishes to train more than these limits, a fee of $250.00 per additional instructor is required. This fee applies for each candidate above the stated quota and must be paid before the candidate's paperwork is submitted.

After six (6) months of active Level Two instructing, and upon completion of three (3) separate instructor courses with satisfactory monitoring records, the instructor may apply for faculty status through Ella Med. The promotion fee for faculty status is $500.00.

Every two years, when it is time to renew AHA instructor certification, a renewal fee of $500.00 is due. For instructors who hold faculty status, this fee covers renewal of both the instructor certification and the faculty status.

After two (2) years of successful program operation as a faculty‑level instructor under Ella Med, the Level Two Instructor may apply to become an independent AHA Training Site. The application and setup fee is $2,000.00, effective May 2028. This fee will establish the complete Training Site infrastructure. Note: All card orders will continue to be placed through Ella Med's Training Center at ManikinsPlus.store, as only existing Training Centers may order cards directly from the AHA.

As described in Chapter Eight, Ella Med sells cards at base prices. The Level Two Instructor may resell cards to their instructors at any price they choose. The difference between the base price and the resale price is retained by the Crockett Fire Department training program. There is no conflict of interest in this practice.

All fees described in this chapter are payable to Ella Med via the methods designated by the Training Center Coordinator. Receipts will be provided, and fees are non‑refundable once processed unless otherwise stated.

Because much of the training under this program will occur at Crockett Fire Department facilities or using CFD equipment, the Level Two Instructor must ensure that all facility and equipment standards are consistently met.

AHA required equipment must be inventoried before each class. This includes adult and infant manikins with functional CPR feedback where required; AED trainers with fresh batteries and adult/child pad sets; bag‑mask devices, pocket masks, and ventilation barriers; and first aid supplies for Heartsaver courses such as splints, bandages, and epinephrine auto‑injector trainers.

Manikin lung bags and faces must be replaced or disinfected according to manufacturer guidelines and AHA standards after every class. Any equipment that is missing, broken, or expired must be reported to the CFD training officer and the Ella Med Coordinator before the class.

Instructors must follow current AHA and CDC guidance on infection control during training. At minimum, this includes hand hygiene before and after handling manikins; use of manikin face shields or individual ventilation barriers for each student; and regular disinfection of all high‑touch surfaces. During periods of increased community respiratory illness, additional measures such as masks and symptom screening may be required at CFD discretion.

The Level Two Instructor must conduct a brief safety orientation at the start of each course, pointing out emergency exits, weather‑related procedures, and the location of first aid kits and AEDs. At least one instructor present must hold current BLS Provider certification, at minimum, to respond if a student becomes ill or injured. Any medical emergency must be reported immediately to the on‑duty CFD officer.

These measures protect the department's liability, maintain AHA compliance, and reflect the professionalism expected of Crockett Fire Department instructors.

Ella Med's Level Two Instructor role is embedded within a structured development pathway, and the Crockett Fire Department encourages qualified members to advance along it. Each stage builds upon the last, rewarding demonstrated competence and sustained commitment to the program's mission.

After at least six months of active Level Two instructing and completion of three successful, fully monitored instructor courses, the instructor may apply for faculty status. A non‑refundable promotion fee of $500.00 applies, as described in Section 12.4.

Faculty instructors may serve as lead instructors for instructor courses, represent Ella Med at regional events, and mentor Level Two Instructors. All faculty must continue to adhere to this manual and the current Ella Med fee schedule.

Faculty status must be renewed every two years concurrently with instructor certification. The renewal fee is $500.00, as described in Section 12.5.

Effective May 2028, faculty instructors who have successfully completed two years in the program and maintained all compliance standards may apply to become an independent Training Site. The application fee is $2,000.00, as described in Section 12.6. As a Training Site, they may operate with full autonomy except for card ordering, which remains through Ella Med per AHA requirements.

Fees collected at each stage support the administrative infrastructure and compliance obligations necessary to maintain AHA standing. Adherence to the policies and procedures in this manual — including timely payment of all applicable fees — is the strongest foundation for professional growth along this pathway.