150 years Red Cross
The Swiss Red Cross is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the rescue organization gave an impressive demonstration in Brunnen of what it does in emergencies on land, on water and in the air.
Dark clouds are brewing over the lake. With stormy gusts and heavy waves, a heavy thunderstorm announces itself. The conditions for the participants of the sailing regatta become critical, they struggle with the natural elements. Suddenly, several boats are involved in an accident, with crew members thrown into the water and injured. A tragedy seems inevitable...
This scenario formed the starting point of the demonstrations by the Red Cross rescue organizations that were presented to the public on the Auslandschweizerplatz in Brunnen. In a 30-minute demonstration, they jointly demonstrated their specialized operational skills on land, on water and in the air. Lifeguards from the Swiss Lifesaving Society plunged into the water and rescued the casualties on land. Here, members of the Samaritans and the Swiss Military Medical Association were already waiting to provide first aid. While the helpers performed life-saving emergency measures, treated wounds and applied first bandages under the attentive eyes of the audience, a spokeswoman explained the context of the demonstration and what is particularly important when providing help. An ambulance from the Red Cross service and a Rega helicopter were then waiting to transport the patients to the hospital. The transfer of the first-aid patients to the two means of transport was also the conclusion of the rescue demonstration. The helpers who were on duty as rescuers or patients were mostly volunteers from local Red Cross rescue organizations. The helicopter with the crew was provided by the nearby Rega base in Erstfeld.
The appearance of the Red Cross rescue organizations on the Auslandschweizerplatz in Brunnen was part of the activities for the 150th anniversary of the SRC. Between the five demonstrations, visitors to the festival were able to find out more about the rescue organizations and their services at the stands. Many realized for the first time that well-known rescue organizations such as the Samaritans or Rega are part of the Red Cross family. In addition, the public was able to visit the SRC's anniversary roadshow. The exciting multimedia story of Switzerland's largest aid organization was very well received by the visitors, as were the outdoor stations where they could discover the SRC in a playful way. The event was planned and carried out jointly by the Red Cross Service, volunteers from local Red Cross rescue organizations and Rega.
Rescue under the sign of the Red Cross
The SRC unites a variety of strengths in the areas of health, integration and rescue under one roof like no other aid organization. In addition to the 24 cantonal associations, two institutions (SRC Blood Donor Service, SRC Humanitarian Foundation), the Red Cross Service RKD and the SRC Head Office in Berne, the SRC includes five rescue organizations: Samaritan Federation SSB, Swiss Association for Search and Rescue Dogs REDOG, Swiss Lifesaving Society SLRG, Swiss Military Medical Association SMSV, Swiss Air-Rescue Rega. With the exception of Rega, these are all volunteer organizations whose total of 57,000 members contributed 1.65 million hours of volunteer work last year.
These national organizations specialize in first aid, water rescue, air rescue of the wounded and sick, and search with dogs. The rescue organizations enable mostly laymen to provide emergency aid to fellow human beings quickly and correctly and to take simple first aid measures. In doing so, they also make a contribution to prevention. They complement and relieve the professional rescue services. They also support the state emergency services in dealing with major incidents.
Rescue organizations must observe the seven principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in their activities. They are entitled to use the sign of the Red Cross next to or in their respective logo.
The SRC is an association under private law in accordance with the Swiss Civil Code. Following the example of the Swiss Confederation, the SRC has a federal structure and is organized in a decentralized manner.
150 years in the service of greater humanity
On July 17, 1866, three years after Henry Dunant and General Guillaume Henri Dufour, founded the "International Committee for Aid to the Wounded" in Geneva, General Henri Dufour, Federal Councillor Jakob Dubs and other personalities met in Bern to found the Swiss Red Cross. The SRC has been at the service of humanity for 150 years. With various central and decentralized events, the SRC is celebrating its anniversary in 2016 together with its member organizations, patrons and the general public.
