Infant CPR manikin positioned and treated for choking

Meet The Manikins

High quality first aid training starts with realistic practice. At DTMK Training Services, the manikins you practise on are chosen very deliberately. They are not just training tools. They are a core part of how we prepare you for real life emergencies.

We believe that first aid training should reflect the world as it actually is, not a simplified version of it.

Illustrated first aid scenarios showing different unconscious casualty positions, including a person lying on the ground and another seated, alongside monitoring and assessment displays.

First aid instructor performing CPR chest compressions on an adult training manikin during a practical resuscitation session, with a tablet nearby displaying live feedback on compression depth and rate.

Real time CPR feedback that builds confidence

The majority of our CPR training uses Adult, Child, and Infant Laerdal QCPR manikins. These industry leading manikins provide real time feedback through an app or display, allowing you to see exactly how well you are performing while you practise.

This feedback includes:

Compression depth
Compression rate
Chest recoil
Hands off time

Seeing this information in real time helps learners understand what good quality CPR actually feels like. It also allows our trainers to coach accurately, based on evidence rather than guesswork. Confidence is built quickly, and improvements are clear and measurable.

Why manikins with breasts matter

One of the most important conversations in modern CPR training is also one of the most uncomfortable. That is exactly why it cannot be ignored.

Research consistently shows that people with breasts are significantly less likely to receive bystander CPR during a cardiac arrest. A figure of around 28 percent lower likelihood is now widely referenced across CPR education, medical research, and resuscitation training communities worldwide.

This is not a small gap. It represents hesitation, uncertainty, and fear. Fear of doing the wrong thing. Fear of incorrect hand placement. Fear of touching someone’s chest. Fear of judgement.

And hesitation costs lives.

For many years, CPR training relied almost entirely on flat chested manikins. While this taught basic technique, it did not reflect the reality of the people first aiders may need to help.

First aid instructor performing CPR chest compressions on a female adult training manikin with realistic chest anatomy, during a practical resuscitation session, with AED pads attached and training equipment visible nearby.

If learners only ever practise CPR on flat chested manikins, uncertainty should not come as a surprise when faced with a real person whose body looks different.

We believe avoiding this issue does not protect learners. It limits them.

That is why DTMK Training Services actively uses manikins with female chest skins, including Practi Man models, across our courses. This is a deliberate and ethical training choice.

Practising CPR on manikins with breasts allows learners to:

Learn correct hand placement without hesitation
Build confidence touching the chest appropriately
Remove anxiety before it becomes a barrier to action
Understand that life saving care always comes before embarrassment

When this becomes normal in training, it becomes normal in real life. That is how barriers are removed and lives are saved.

First aid instructor practising rescue breaths on an obese elderly adult CPR training manikin during a practical resuscitation session, demonstrating correct airway opening and ventilation technique on the floor.

Training that reflects real people

Our commitment to realism does not stop there.

You may also meet Fred during your course.

Fred is designed to represent an older adult with obesity. CPR can feel very different on different body types, and this is something first aiders need to experience in training, not for the first time in an emergency.

Training with Fred helps learners understand changes in chest resistance, positioning challenges, and realistic airway considerations. It reinforces the message that effective CPR is possible on all body types, with the right technique and confidence.

Realism that prompts the right conversations

Some of our manikins wear clothing. Some have piercings. Some may have medication on them.

These details are intentional.

They allow us to explore real world considerations at the right moment on the course, including:

Exposing the chest safely and appropriately
AED pad placement around piercings
Managing medication patches or medical jewellery
Making confident decisions under pressure

Our equipment is designed to provoke discussion, not catch people out. Questions are encouraged, misconceptions are addressed, and confidence is built in a supportive environment.

Female adult CPR training manikin with realistic chest anatomy, dressed in a white DTMK polo shirt and cap, seated upright against a chair to represent a clothed unresponsive casualty scenario used in first aid and resuscitation training.

First aid instructor practising paediatric CPR on an infant training manikin, demonstrating correct airway positioning and ventilation technique, with a paediatric AED and training equipment placed nearby on the floor.

Training for reality,
not just assessment

At DTMK Training Services, our aim is not simply to help you complete a course. It is to ensure that if something does happen, you feel ready to act.

By using a wide range of high quality, realistic manikins, including those with breasts, older adult features, and different body types, we prepare first aiders for the realities they may face.

Because real emergencies do not come with perfect conditions. And good training should never pretend they do.

If you would like to know more about how our courses are delivered or why we train the way we do, please get in touch. We are always happy to talk.