First Aid And Sports

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31407, 28 June 1967, Page 16

First Aid And Sports

Every Saturday during the winter more than 800 football and hockey teams are on Christchurch playing-fields. The St. John Ambulance Brigade sends to these sports grounds as many first-aid attendants as it can muster. Their services are widely sought, and generally appreciated, by these and other sports. When the brigadesmen are not on hand at sports which entail some risk of personal injury, their absence often provokes complaints. Although the “ first-aiders ” are not paid—unlike ambulance drivers, who are full-time employees—many people are under the impression that they receive at least some emolument. Last year the St. John Ambulance Association received £440 from Christchurch local bodies, £9OO in general donations, and £lBOO from its annual appeal to business firms. As the fund-raising organisation, the association pays a sum each year to the brigade to buy uniforms, kits, medical supplies, and other equipment. One department of the brigade’s work is called “ public duties ”. This describes the brigade’s attendance at sports grounds, car and motor-cycle racing, fairs, rodeos, and dozens of other public occasions. In return for “ public “ duties ” sports clubs and other organisations contribute to the association’s funds. Last year the total of these contributions was £854. Racing and trotting clubs gave amounts equal to a fee of £1 a day for each brigadesman attending their meetings. This meant that all the other organisations paid £547. This year the accounts of the association suggest that the sum will be even less. This is a paltry figure, to say the least: it bears little relation to the cost of equipping brigadesmen for the work they do. Some contributions are generous; others are niggardly. When the receiver-general of the Priory of the order (Mr A. S. Paterson) said recently that sports clubs should review their contributions he was politely reminding clubs that they are all too clearly neglecting their responsibilities. Sports clubs, of course, are volunteer organisations like the brigade itself. But first-aid services are just as important to the pleasure and success of their sports as the other services and materials for which they are accustomed to paying a fair price.

More money will not relieve the other problem faced by the brigade—too few first-aiders. St. John runs courses in first aid which cost only 30s a person. Before this winter sports season began, sports organisations were invited to send members to such a course. If coaches, supporters, and parents were trained in first aid the burden on brigadesmen would be much lighter. The response to the invitation was negligible. There is an important task to be done by volunteers. The clubs are unable or unwilling to shoulder it themselves; and they are not meeting the cost of the services they now receive. This is a sorry state of affairs. Snorts dubs should take to heart the reasonable appeals by officers of St. John for members and for money. Clubs would be better able to assess their responsibilities if the association could tell them the cost of these important “public duties”. The St. John volunteers do their best: so should the sports club volunteers.