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First responders have advanced first aid training which allows them to stabilize a patient until emergency medical services (EMS) arrives. In rural and remote communities where EMS can be hours away, having local first responders on the scene can mean the difference between life and death.

Meet Wegdan Rashad Abdelmoemin. Wegdan moved to Toronto, Ontario, just over two years ago, and started volunteering not long after. An international medical graduate, with training in psychiatry and mental health, she is currently studying to get licensed as a doctor in Canada.

Enjoying the gentle busyness retirement has to offer, Heather Dewar, former CPR instructor of more than 25 years, went about her day like any other. Then, when her neighbour collapsed, Heather’s years of experience told her exactly what she needed to do next.

Some of our first aid courses can be long in order to provide certification meeting legislation requirements - but there is also First Aid Basics. If you’re a new parent, want to build confidence in responding to emergencies, or want to refresh and update your first aid skills, this course provides practical knowledge in the basics of first aid in 2 to 2.5 hours.

Jules Zanré, a Montrealer originally from Burkina Faso, has spent the last 10 years improving access to health care for mothers, newborns, and children in many rural communities of Mali.

Six-year-old Jaycee Berezowski received the Red Cross Rescuer Award recently; her life-saving actions show how crucial practice can be in a crisis.
Jaycee’s mom, Jenine, had all her wisdom teeth removed. She was taking pain medication and after a couple of days with no ill effects, Jenine’s boyfriend returned to work, leaving Jenine to rest and recover with her daughter, Jaycee.

Lucia Lasso is one of two full-time Head of Emergency Operations with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which means she’s almost always thinking about disasters. But even when she’s not actively engaged in an operation, she spends her time thinking about how the Red Cross can respond to emergencies more effectively. This includes encouraging other women to aspire to positions of leadership.

As a young child in Canada, Rateb always acknowledged that his internal calling was to help those in need. Following his parents’ immigration to the Middle East, Rateb obtained his medical degree in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Rateb saw the opportunity to directly apply his training and skills through the greater good of humanitarian work, and joined the Canadian Red Cross to help on the front lines.