First Aid for a Safer Future
The second Saturday of September is celebrated as World First Aid Day. The event was initiated in 2000 and since then over 100 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world celebrate it yearly. Events and ceremonies are organised in order to raise public awareness and communities’ understanding of the positive implications and essential role of first aid in day-to-day life as well as in emergencies, in accident and disease prevention as well as in the integration of marginalized groups in society.
First Aid should be compulsory for Everyone, says Red Cross Red Crescent report;
As well as advocating first aid’s basic gestures for saving lives, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) strongly believes that first aid should not only be accessible to all – including the most vulnerable, but also be an integral part of a wider developmental approach. This approach focuses on prevention in order to build safer and more resilient communities.
First aid is by no means a replacement for emergency services; it is a vital initial step for providing effective and rapid intervention that helps to reduce serious injuries and improve the chances of survival. Taking immediate action and applying the appropriate techniques make a difference when saving lives.
A joint publication from IFRC and the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education – First Aid-IFRC Report
