The Croatian Red Cross conducts the national first aid program in the Republic of Croatia and systematically works to educate citizens and improve first aid in accordance with international guidelines. First aid is one of the fundamental activities of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and historically important for the identity of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and thus the Croatian Red Cross.
First aid is provided to the injured person at the scene until the arrival of the emergency medical service with the aim of saving lives, preventing complications and shortening treatment and recovery. First aid includes emergency treatment of injuries, sudden onset of illnesses and psychological first aid for injured persons. First aid provided in a timely and appropriate manner is extremely important for urgent conditions such as loss of consciousness, respiratory arrest, suffocation or severe bleeding. A first aid provider is a person who provides the necessary first aid procedures to the injured person, taking care of their safety and the safety of other participants in the incident.
First aid trainings and promotion
The Croatian Red Cross seeks to train as many citizens as possible to provide first aid in everyday life. Encouraging each individual to learn and know first aid helps build safe and healthy communities. Every year, approximately 50,000 people are involved in various forms of first aid training (courses, demonstration exercises, workshops and competitions), of which 20,000 are candidates in driving schools and 3,400 are employees at their workplaces. First aid knowledge promotes a change in thinking and awareness of the importance of first aid.
First aid professional conference
Every year, the Croatian Red Cross organises a professional first aid conference. Attendance is obligatory for doctors of medicine who want to attend the training and pass the exam to verify their professional competence as lecturers and authorised examiners for the course on first aid provided to persons injured in traffic accidents.
World First Aid Day
World First Aid Day is celebrated every year on the second Saturday in September globally, as an opportunity to highlight the importance of first aid knowledge. In the Republic of Croatia, the celebration of the World First Aid Day is implemented as a joint activity of all Croatian Red Cross local branches. On this occasion various activities for citizens are organised with the aim of promoting first aid.
National First Aid Competition
Every year, the National First Aid Competition of the Croatian Red Cross, organised by the National Society, is held on the second weekend in September, with up to ten registered teams from Croatian Red Cross local branches, each consisting of six adult members. The National First Aid Competition includes a practical test of first aid knowledge and skills through designed scenarios with an overview of incidents (for example, loss of consciousness while camping, drowning in a river, food suffocation, traffic accident, forest fire) and a realistic presentation of injuries and illnesses with a larger number of victims. At each location, a number of first aid judges evaluate the quality of first aid procedures administered by all team members (speed, resourcefulness, teamwork, psychological support, etc.). Competitors are presented with appropriate prizes.
Croatian Red Cross Youth Competition
The Youth Competition of the Croatian Red Cross has existed since 1996, and more than 130,000 primary and secondary school students have participated to date. It is carried out in cooperation with the Education and Teacher Training Agency and is included in their Catalogue of Competitions and Exhibitions. Knowledge about the Red Cross, human rights and children's rights is tested, but the focus is on first aid, both theory and practice, with realistic simulation of situations and injuries. Competitors are presented with appropriate prizes.
Realistic simulation of injuries
Realistic simulation of injuries is one of the components of first aid and an indispensable part of first aid competitions. Volunteers assume the role of injured persons on whom injuries are simulated and presented. The goal of realistic simulation of injuries is to develop the capability to recognise injuries and sudden onset of diseases, prioritize first aid procedures and assess the condition of injured persons, as a preparation for real events. Actors - models on whom injuries are simulated using various techniques and materials (paints, brushes, petroleum jelly, etc.) are an important part of the simulation, as they need to adequately present the simulated scenario.
Numerous Croatian Red Cross local branches carry out trainings in realistic simulation of injuries for their volunteers. Additionally, the National Society annually organizes a Competition in Realistic Simulation of Injuries. Up to ten teams from Croatian Red Cross local branches participate in the Competition. Judges assess the knowledge and skills of simulating injuries and sudden onset of diseases according to established anatomical, physiological and technical criteria, as well as the credibility of the performance of actors as injured persons. Competitors are presented with appropriate prizes.
