News

First meeting of the European task-force on 'First aid and prevention for the elderly'

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:33:16 GMT

On 9th March 2010, the French Red Cross hosted the first meeting of the European task-force on "First aid and prevention training for the elderly".

Ten National Societies, as well as the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education, are represented in this group.

The overall aim of the meeting was to define the objectives of the task-force and the expected results; the work will focus on two main target groups: the elderly and the elderly caregivers and on three main themes: first aid, prevention and health.

First aid for a safer future, focus on Europe

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:56:52 GMT

Many Europeans do not receive first aid training at a time when the continent faces growing challenges! In a new report called “First Aid for a Safer Future: Focus on Europe” the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies and the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education give ten recommendations. Key among them: compulsory quality first aid training or education for everyone.

“The fact that 56 per cent of European countries have decided to make first aid compulsory to get a driving licence is encouraging but this is not enough and we clearly see the need for legislation at the European level both on compulsory quality first aid training and on putting a time limit on first aid certificates”, explains Diane Issard, manager of the Reference Centre based at the French Red Cross in Paris.

Major differences within Europe
The report contains several key statistics: While 95 per cent of the population in Norway, as well as 80 per cent in Germany and Austria, are trained in first aid, in many other European countries only between 5 and 10 per cent of the population have the necessary skills to take immediate action and apply the appropriate techniques in case of accident. Especially in southern, central and eastern Europe, authorities rely too much on emergency services instead of the lifesaving potential of individual first aiders. “All citizens should be given an active role in disaster prevention and be taught basic first aid skills that can be applied in any kind of emergency, including everyday accidents”, says Diane Issard.

Without first aid, help often arrives too late
The report demonstrates how immediate first aid can help reduce the severity of injuries and save lives: When a human heart ceases beating, permanent brain damage can occur within the first minutes after breathing stops, the report points out, emphasizing that, unless someone trained in first aid has taken immediate action, even the most sophisticated emergency service will frequently arrive on the scene only to certify death.

First aiders need legal protection
The report also advocates for more access to defibrillators in public and private places, calls for more realistic first aid trainings and is urging European legislators to ensure that first aid providers are not held responsible for possible poor outcomes in the challenging settings of an accident: “This is essential to avoid people from turning away from accidents because they are afraid of possible legal actions”, concludes Diane Issard.

According to a survey conducted in 2006, out of the 6.2 million people trained in first aid every year in Europe, 56 per cent (3.5 million) are trained by National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies.

Solferino, 150 later

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:23:41 GMT

24 June 1859: the battle of Solferino. Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, was confronted with the desolating scenes of an endless procession of carts carrying thousands of wounded. This led to the idea of creating a neutral organisation of first aid, recognised by various nations and which could intervene in all places of war.

150 years later, from June 23 to 28, thousands of Red Cross/Red Crescent members gathered in Solferino. The Solferino event was divided into the Youth on the Move workshops and the Humanitarian Boulevard. Therefore, the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education provided both information and activities in the IFRC Health and Care space on the Boulevard and led a first aid workshop for youth.

Youth on the Move

The First Aid education workshop drew 50 youth participants nominated from their respective National Societies.

The objectives of the workshop were:

- to share what first aid means for youths, in particular first aid with vulnerable groups;

- to gain a better understanding of the First Aid Policy and what it means for youths;

- to learn and practice first aid techniques;

- to discuss on how to harmonize first aid best practices and techniques across regions.

The workshop participants discussed three topics:

- What are the new first aid activities for your National Society among youth into 2015?

- What can be your contribution as youth volunteers?

- What will be the key messages included in the final Solferino Youth Declaration?

The key messages chosen by the youths for the Declaration were the following:

We call on our National Societies to:

- Include the “most-vulnerable” groups in decision-making processes.

- Increase peer education to reach more young people.

We call on governments of the world and on the international community to:

Include first aid and road safety in national education curricula, and allocate appropriate financial and logistical resources.

In addition to the practice and sharing of concrete first aid techniques, the discussions between the very active youth participants and the first aid instructors from the British, French, Spanish Red Cross were very fruitful. In particular, the presence of youth interested in first aid from five continents provided a wealth of diverse opinions and perspectives.

Humanitarian Boulevard

Sharing space with the IFRC Health & Care Department, the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education provided information, brochures, and handouts to the thousands of Humanitarian Boulevard participants and visitors. In addition, the Reference Centre staff scheduled informal discussions on a variety of First Aid topics for small groups of interested participants. The presence of the Reference Centre provided the unique opportunity to directly inform and exchange information with thousands of Red Cross/Red Crescent members of all nationalities.

European seminar on first aid with vulnerable people

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:59:11 GMT

On 11th and 12th March 2009 the British Red Cross (BRC) hosted a seminar for staff and volunteers from the BRC, 11 other European Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies and the IFRC on the development of our work with vulnerable groups. This seminar marked the end of the need for a ‘taskforce’ on this subject following 3 years of development, trialling resources and building understanding of this work. It provided an opportunity to showcase projects, discuss growth of this area and build on the knowledge base that supports this work. The support that was shown for it and the enthusiasm of the delegates reflected a clear step change to prioritise this area of work which remains high on the IFRC’s agenda and that of the wider Movement.

The overall aim of the seminar was to inspire national societies and BRC areas to develop their work with vulnerable groups using first aid, and to incorporate it in their workplans and strategies. The goal for this work is a transformational shift towards more and better delivery of first aid education to those most in need of it, and those least likely to learn through other means.

First Aid Convention in Europe (FACE) 2008

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:28:03 GMT

More than 850 Red Cross representatives from 28 countries gathered in Liverpool last weekend to take part in Europe’s biggest first aid competition and enjoy a major conference.

The First Aid Convention in Europe (FACE08) took place in and around the University of Liverpool, which also gave attendees an opportunity to see the sights of this year’s European Capital of Culture. It was the second time the FACE event has been staged in the UK.

During the first aid competition on Saturday, 28 of the finest teams in Europe – from Norway to Ireland to Turkey – rolled up their sleeves to contest four coveted trophies. The Serbian Red Cross triumphed overall in the first aid competition, winning the award for the third year in a row.

Ken Sharpe, first aid technical support manager, said: “The competition was terrific. We’d paid particular attention this year to making the accident scenarios and injuries absolutely realistic, and I think that encouraged the competitors to raise their game even further.”

Final event of the Road Safety Campaign 2008

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:44:03 GMT

The 4th European Red Cross Road Safety Campaign came to an end on 22 June 2008. The final event was celebrated on 6 June 2008 in Lisbon, Portugal.

During the opening ceremony, Luc Henskens, Director of the Red Cross/EU Office, presented the “Red Cross Road Safety and First Aid Resource Pack”, the core product of the campaign. It is an interactive tool with worksheets on road safety and First Aid in 16 European languages, which were tested by 29 000 people

The “Red Cross Road Safety and First Aid Resource Pack” is designed for the Red Cross, other organisations, teachers, youth workers and road safety practitioners who want to operate road safety programmes in their countries.

The material has been tested between October 2007 and March 2008 in the following EU countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. It has been successfully piloted in a numerous European schools and has received the official support from the Ministry of Education of Cyprus and Greece.

The Resource pack has three main components and could be used for:

- Raising awareness on road safety

- Influencing behaviour - formal/non-formal education on road safety and first aid

- Building community capacity

The interactive version of the resource pack is available in 16 languages and can be downloaded from the campaign’s website – www.1-life.info.

Mr. Henskens also presented the Position Paper of the EU Red Cross National Societies on First Aid and Driving Licence to the European Commission. The main recommendation is that in all EU Member States, every candidate for a driving license should be educated in First aid and should have a valid First aid certificate that is not more than five years old. It is then recommended to follow a refresher course every five years.

A new step for the Reference Centre

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:21:23 GMT

On 29 February 2008, the agreement on the hosting of the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education by the French Red Cross was prolonged for five years. At the signing ceremony, held in Paris, Ibrahim Osman, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Deputy Secretary General reaffirmed the importance of first aid services and first aid education which are a priority not only at the community level, but also at the global one as regards health issues. Stressing that "these life-saving skills" should be accessible to all, he pointed to the concrete results achieved by first aid education: "...not only by reducing the number of deaths and injuries but also by helping people to build safer and healthier communities in injury, disease prevention and health promotion."

The European Reference Centre for First Aid Education has been managed by the French Red Cross since 2003. "First aid is a priority in most of the National Societies, it is at the heart of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. The French Red Cross is happy to continue to host this Reference Centre and will continue to actively promote the sharing of knowledge, resources and technical expertise in first aid," said Olivier Brault, Director General of the French Red Cross.

First Aid Convention in Europe 2007

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:16:14 GMT

FACE 2007: the first aid team members from Serbian Red Cross were recognised as the best European providers of first aid after winning the top prize in the First Aid Convention in Europe, which took place in Ireland in July at the University of Limerick. The second and third place were respectively for the Bulgarian Red Cross and the Austrian Red Cross.

Congratulating the teams, Irish Red Cross vice-chairman Tony Lawlor said the event served to highlight the importance of first aid: "Three million people in Europe are trained in first aid by the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies every year, and this Convention shows the level of expertise available right across Europe".
A total of 28 teams from 25 countries took part in the event: 28 stations - half of which were 'fun' and 'rest' stations and half were first aid challenges. This event was very positive to create an exchange between first-aiders from all over Europe, in a very good atmosphere thanks to traditional Irish music

4th Road Safety campaign

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:10:51 GMT

On 27 April 2007, in Brussels, the Red Cross launched officially its 4th road safety and first aid campaign during the European Road Safety Day.

This campaign will focus on :

- increasing visibility in Europe for road safety issues,

- collecting best practices for road safety and first aid and proactively sharing them throughout Europe,

- encouraging individuals, communities, organisations and governments to improve road safety.

Between April 2007 and June 2008, Red Cross National Societies will deliver programmes to increase awareness, knowledge and respect of road safety rules and behaviours as well as to promote first aid amongst the general public.

The main outcome of this campaign will be the production of a road safety and first aid resource pack. This resource pack will be easily available for free on the campaign website : http://www.1-life.info. Over 57% of all road victims die in the first minutes after the crash, before the arrival of the emergency services. First aid is a cost-effective, safe and simple way to save lives. In Europe, the Red Cross, as a leading provider of first aid, endeavours to make first aid education compulsory at different stages of life (at school, driving licence…).

The European First Aid Manual is launched

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:04:47 GMT

Take first aid handbooks from various countries and make a comparison: you will notice some differences between the first aid techniques used. To deal with this matter, the Belgian Red Cross – Flanders led a project called “European First Aid Manual” (EFAM). The aim of this project co-financed by the European Commission is to harmonise the content of first aid books.

In this framework, a team of 29 European experts, managed by the Belgian Red Cross – Flanders, drew-up a number of guidelines for first aid. These guidelines were set-up on the basis of scientific studies, specialists’ advice and experience. EFAM also includes the newest guidelines on resuscitation and on the use of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC). The experts’ work focused on the training of the general public and on the subjects of the European First Aid Certificate.

The concrete results of this two-year project are European guidelines on first aid, a reference document and a manual. With these tools, the first aid managers of the Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies have at disposal files to create or update first aid books and courses. The EFAM content can be obtained ordering the DVD (this is not free of charge).