Austrian red cross

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Austrian red cross
logo
legal form non-profit association
( ZVR : 432857691)
founding March 14, 1880
Seat Vienna , Austria
motto Out of love for people.
main emphasis Humanitarian aid , international humanitarian law , social work
people Gerald Schöpfer , President
Employees 8,384
Volunteers 74,327
Members 1,021,966
Website roteskreuz.at
Henri Dunant - Stele in Dunantgasse in Vienna- Floridsdorf by the painter Hans Robert Pippal
Memorial stone of the Hungarian People's Uprising (1956) at the Andau bridge

The Austrian Red Cross ( ÖRK ) is the National Red Cross Society in Austria according to the Geneva Convention and as such part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement with its headquarters in Vienna . On March 14, 1880, the Austrian Society of Rothen Kreuze (ÖGvRK) was founded through the merger of local aid associations and is now the largest aid organization in the country. It is recognized and legally protected by the state on the basis of the Red Cross Act , which came into force on February 1, 2008 and replaces the Red Cross Protection Act of 1962.

Principles

The principles were at the XX. International Red Cross Conference in Vienna in 1965 and accepted by all members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

  • humanity
  • impartiality
  • neutrality
  • independence
  • Voluntariness
  • unit
  • universality

history

Beginnings

The first form of the Austrian Red Cross was the Patriotic Aid Association , which was founded two months before the famous Battle of Solferino in 1859. He had great support from the population and was accordingly supported by them. His tasks consisted of caring for wounded soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Army , as well as looking after war victims, widows and orphans. In 1864, because of the German-Danish War, the Patriotic Aid Association was re-established, which, as usual up to now, was dissolved again after the end of the war in the same year. This was the first time that observers from the Red Cross were present. On the Prussian-Austrian side, surgeon Louis Appia performed this task. He reported that the use of voluntary helpers had worked very well and for the first time fewer soldiers died in the hospitals than in the actual fighting, which had always been the other way around. This success was due to the voluntary paramedics in Prussia , who not only looked after their own wounded, but also wounded enemy soldiers. The Patriotic Aid Association, however, limited its work to the care and support of Austrian war victims, as did the Danes , who, according to reports from the Red Cross observers, even left their own wounded behind after the defeat by the Prussian-Austrian army.

Just two years later, on the occasion of the German War , this association was founded again. In the course of the war, the association tried to send relief supplies to the front, but they did not get there. In contrast to the Habsburg monarchy , the war opponents Prussia and Italy had already signed the Geneva Conventions at this point in time . Therefore, the immediate scope of action of the Patriotic Aid Association was limited to the Reich territory due to a lack of internationally recognized status and the deliveries of aid goods to the actual war zone were prohibited. The main task of the association was therefore again the care of the wounded. After the end of the war, however, it was not dissolved, as has already been done several times, but the association remained in existence. From then on it was called the Austrian Patriotic Aid Association for Wounded Warriors - Military Widows and Orphans. At the same time, the Rothen Kreuze Regional Aid Association for Lower Austria and was able to access a specially established foundation for funding . On July 21, 1866, the monarchy also joined the Geneva Conventions, which is why the association committed itself to recognizing the principles of the Red Cross. This step can also be traced back to the failure of the Austrian medical service during the German war. While the Prussian Red Cross optimally supported the Prussian medical service, the Austrians, like the Danes two years earlier, are said to have even left their own wounded after the lost battle at Königgrätz .

Coat of arms of the Austrian Society of Rothen Kreuze
Debenture for 20 kroner from the Austrian Red Cross Society, dated June 15, 1916

In the period that followed, other such aid associations developed in the countries of the Habsburg Empire, such as in Bohemia , Moravia , Silesia and Styria . Since there was no superordinate organization to coordinate the auxiliary activities of these independent associations, the implementation of such relief operations was often less than optimal. Therefore, in 1879, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Defense, the creation of a corresponding umbrella organization was proposed, which was realized with the establishment of the Austrian Society of Rothen Kreuze (ÖGvRK) on March 14, 1880. Emperor Franz Joseph I signed the charter and, together with his wife Elisabeth, took over the patronage of the new association.

The area of ​​responsibility of this organization was initially similar to that of the Patriotic Aid Association, but gradually it also devoted itself to the provision of materials for hospitals ( disaster relief ), the implementation of preventive programs and the operation of a tracing service . The medical services of the civilian population were still ensured by the volunteer fire brigades , some of which were supported by helpers from the Red Cross. Over time, however, the fire services' medical service came under the supervision of the Red Cross. By the outbreak of World War I , the establishment of a rescue service began on a small scale , which was based on a resolution of the Federal Assembly of the ÖGvRK in 1900. According to tradition, the first ambulance was carried out by an office in Bukowina to the General Hospital of the City of Vienna . The main focus of the ÖGvRK was still on supporting the military medical service .

In Vienna, under the impact of the Ringtheater fire, at the end of 1881, the Voluntary Rescue Society was founded, which, after initially unsuccessful attempts at localization, was affiliated to the city's professional fire brigade at the end of 1938 and from which the rescue and medical transport service was spun off as a separate department in 1940, today's Viennese professional rescue service . There was also a volunteer Hietzingen rescue company, which resumed its activities in 1947 and claimed its former areas in 1952. The resulting "rescue war" at the end of 1957 intensified with the establishment of the Red Cross in Vienna, which the Hietzingen rescue company joined and could only be resolved in mid-1960 when the rescue services in Vienna and Lower Austria were separated. The Vienna Rescue Service has been working in a coordinated manner with other rescue and ambulance services, such as the Red Cross, since 1977.

Based on the care for wounded in war, the Austrian Society of White Crosses for war invalids was founded in 1882 , which lasted until the First World War.

Situation in the two world wars

During the First World War , caring for the wounded soldiers became the main task of the WCC. After Austria was annexed to the German Reich in 1938, the WCC was incorporated into the German Red Cross (DRK) .

After the Second World War

A VW T3 ambulance from the Carinthian regional association

After the end of the Second World War in 1945, the WCC became independent again. This measure was quickly approved by the Austrian parliament and the Allies . In 1962 the misuse of the symbol was prohibited by the resolution of the Red Cross Protection Act by the Austrian Parliament. At the International Red Cross Conference in Vienna in 1965, the seven principles already mentioned were adopted. In 1970 the name was changed to the current name Austrian Red Cross . The Austrian aid campaign " Neighbors in Need " was founded in 1992 with the participation of the WCC. In 1994, the WCC working committee established its own mission statement .

In July 2015 it was announced that the Vienna Red Cross would like to take over the Green Cross , and a preliminary agreement for the takeover was signed. The two organizations plan to work together on administration from September 1, 2015, subject to regulatory approvals. In November, the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) approved the merger of the Vienna Green Cross with the Red Cross. The Green Cross in Lower Austria and Styria are excluded from the merger.

President

Areas of responsibility

Ambulance service

Ambulance of the district office Salzburg-Stadt in the new, nationwide "vehicle design '17"

The best-known area of ​​responsibility of the Austrian Red Cross is the rescue service, which is carried out in all nine federal states alone or in cooperation with other aid organizations and rescue services. This term encompasses emergency rescue with or without an emergency doctor as well as qualified and unqualified patient transport (in internal parlance also referred to as "medical service" and "ambulance transport").

Emergency ambulance of the Graz-Stadt district office

The WCC ( Carinthia , Upper Austria , Salzburg , Styria ) operates its own rescue control centers to receive emergency calls and coordinate emergency operations and patient transport . In the remaining federal states ( Burgenland , Lower Austria , Tyrol , Vorarlberg , Vienna ) the rescue control centers are operated either by the states themselves or by their own companies. The employees of the rescue control center take incoming calls and emergency calls, enter the data into the operations control system and a dispatcher ensures that suitable equipment is dispatched . The types of emergency vehicles used differ within Austria; in Upper Austria, for example, multi-purpose vehicles (internal ambulance vehicles , SEW for short) are used for both emergencies and ambulances, while in other federal states such as Salzburg , a distinction is made between various emergency vehicles , including ambulance vehicles and ambulances becomes. However, ambulance vehicles are used almost everywhere in the rendezvous system .

Ambulance vehicle from the Helfenberg branch, Upper Austria

The ambulance service operates 2,102 emergency vehicles that carry out 3,038,470 emergency trips for 2,564,489 patients every year. Currently, 8,236 full-time, 73,598 voluntary and 4,587 people doing civil service are employed in this area throughout Austria.

The WCC also offers ambulance services especially for events . These are usually prescribed by the authorities for a certain number of visitors, but they can also be used for a fee without any official obligation. The WCC provides a corresponding number of paramedics and medical service facilities depending on the size of the respective event.

Blood donation service

The blood donation service has existed since 1957. Approx. 95% of the necessary blood in Austria is donated by it. In 2012, this was 388,992 blood products from 260,291 blood donors. Since November 2018, the blood donation service has also been involved in the registration of stem cell donors in Austria.

Health and Social Services

Depending on the individual regional associations and district offices, the WCC offers, among other things, mobile care services (home nursing), delivery services for cooked and frozen meals (meals on wheels), the distribution and support of home emergency calls (on-call assistance), visiting services and crisis intervention and also operates old people's homes as well as day centers.

Disaster Relief Service

The framework regulation on the structure and areas of responsibility of the Disaster Relief Service (KHD) of the Austrian Red Cross was last specified nationwide in 2007 by the 199th President's Conference. This applies not only to the management of disasters at home and abroad, but also to prevention and the organization of exercises to prepare for them. In the case of an operation, medical operations (supply and transport of injured persons affected, for example after a major accident ), care operations (care for the largely uninjured, but those affected who have become homeless or careless as a result of a disaster, for example with the person on the run, Operation 2015 ) and special types of deployment (e.g. in cooperation with the Austria team ). The state associations and the federal association maintain the appropriate capacities in the form of personnel, material and vehicles. The KHD's area of ​​responsibility also includes development cooperation and humanitarian aid abroad.

Disaster Relief Service employees set up emergency shelter for refugees

The structure of the individual elements of the KHD is standardized throughout Austria, so that, in the event of an emergency, we can work together across federal states quickly. A basic distinction is made between the following units:

  • Rescue commanders: The federal, state and district rescue commanders are responsible for managing and organizing all forces involved in deployment planning and preparation.
  • Rescue Command: The Rescue Command is a staff that supports the commanders on all three levels in their tasks.
  • Operations manager on site: The operations manager coordinates the forces on site.
  • Liaison officer: The liaison officer maintains communication with the command and other emergency services.
  • Red Cross Units (RKE): summarizes the respective resources according to their area of ​​responsibility ( e.g. search dogs , logistics and transport)

Additional personnel are further broken down into columns, departments, platoons and groups at the level of the district offices. The Austrian team and the international Red Cross units (RKIE) also belong to the KHD units. These international units are divided into:

  • International Response Capacity (IRC)
  • Emergency Response Units (ERU).
  • Field Assessment and Coordination Teams (FACT)
  • EU modules

As is common in many areas of the WCC, other non-disaster relief services of the Red Cross, such as ambulance, blood donation, and health and social services, can be called upon if necessary. Conversely, the KHD is also used, for example, for ambulance services that do not belong to the original area of ​​responsibility.

The first major deployment of the WCC's KHD was in 1956 in the course of the Hungarian uprising , where Austrian helpers both helped in Hungary and looked after the refugees in the country. One of the biggest missions of the WCC to date was the People on the Flight mission 2015. From February 2020, the WCC's KHD was deployed to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria .

Education, training and further education

In addition to the training and further education of rescue and emergency paramedics in accordance with the Paramedic Act. The Austrian Red Cross also offers first aid courses for the population with different focuses, such as child emergencies or newcomers to driving licenses. In 2016, a total of 301,350 people took courses of the WCC in Austria.

youth

  • Youth Red Cross: The Youth Red Cross has the task of working closely with schools to introduce young people to a humanitarian sentiment and to human behavior and to provide concrete help, for example through age-appropriate magazines, first aid courses, swimming badges and humanitarian projects.
  • Red Cross Youth: In contrast to the Youth Red Cross, only from 14 years of age and outside of school; it is currently only implemented in Vienna, Tyrol, Carinthia and Styria. The basic task is to bring the various areas of the Red Cross closer to the members. The young people receive a 16-hour first aid course and training to become disaster relief workers. A humanitarian online youth portal has been available for the 13+ target group since mid-September 2012. The platform offers information and opportunities for low-threshold counseling and humanitarian engagement. Get Social is aimed at all young people who are interested in humanitarian issues, regardless of whether they are already active or just interested.

Tracing service

For many years after the Second World War, the tracing service for missing soldiers and civilians was carried out, but also during the last major catastrophe in 2004, person searches were carried out with the other organizations and authorities.

International aid - development cooperation

Austrian ERU drinking water specialist takes a water sample

In development cooperation, the Austrian Red Cross provides support primarily in the areas of water and sanitation (with emergency response units ), basic health care and, more generally, in building the capacities of national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in developing countries. The Austrian Red Cross is thus contributing to the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals .

Sociopolitical tasks

Memorial for WCC and fire brigade in Kapfenberg / Styria.

Dissemination of international humanitarian law

The majority of the employees work on a voluntary basis ; in 2012 there were 74,327 volunteers. People doing community service can also do their community service with the Red Cross.

construction

The headquarters in Wiedner Hauptstrasse in Vienna

The Austrian Red Cross is a non-profit association and is therefore organized accordingly. The most important organs are the general assembly , the general secretariat, the president's conference and the president himself. The executive committee of the association is the president's conference, which consists of the president and his four deputies, as well as the presidents of the national associations and three other members. The president, like his four deputies, is elected at the general meeting. Other tasks of the general assembly are to pass resolutions, for example on the budget, the amount of the membership fee, and changing the statutes . The General Secretariat, which is the executive body of the WCC, is responsible for implementing the decisions of the President's Conference and General Assembly. At the head of this body is the Secretary General, who acts as the managing director and has a deputy.

The General Secretariat is also responsible for public relations and thus in particular for representing the ideas and goals of the Red Cross in public. It also represents the WCC vis-à-vis the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, National Red Cross Societies, authorities and other organizations. In the event of a disaster , the General Secretariat is responsible for coordinating national and international aid measures. It also maintains contacts with other associations and organizations with similar objectives. The headquarters of the WCC are located at 4 Wiedner Hauptstrasse in Vienna.

There are a total of 139 district offices and 711 local offices.

The WCC is federally structured and consists of nine regional associations of the Austrian federal states . These are independent associations that are legally autonomous and can dispose of their own financial resources, but they are committed to the principles of the WCC. This form of organization is partly due to historical reasons, since a large part of the regional associations existed in the form of voluntary aid associations before the Austrian National Red Cross Society was founded. The national associations are organized in the same way as the WCC, their organs are the general assembly, the association committee, the working committee and the president. Each regional association is in turn subdivided into district and local offices (with the exception of Vienna, there are no local offices here), which are also their own associations and therefore have corresponding organs (heads, committees, annual general meetings).

financing

In the annual activity report, the Austrian Red Cross shows a turnover of EUR 660 million. 58% of them go to the rescue service, 18% to the health and social services, 11% to the blood donation service and 10% to international cooperation. Since 2010 the turnover has increased by 34%, the share of the different services in the turnover has remained largely stable. The turnover of the Red Cross is exempt from sales tax.

The main part of the expenditure is financed by public-sector fees. The share of donations in the income is only 11%.

Orders and decorations

This list gives an overview of the orders and decorations of the Austrian Red Cross in their current ranking.

  • Cross of Merit of the Austrian Red Cross
  • Medals of Merit from the Austrian Red Cross
  • Medal of Merit for disaster operations and development cooperation from the Austrian Red Cross
  • Medal of Merit of the Austrian Red Cross for special services to the blood donation system
  • Red Cruise Clasp
  • Year of service badge of the Austrian Red Cross
  • Brooch for volunteers
  • Brooch for nursing assistants
  • Red Cross hour clip
  • Badges of honor for companies and organizations

Former decorations

Further prices

In 1961, the presidents of the regional associations of the Austrian Red Cross and the Austrian Youth Red Cross on the occasion of the 65th birthday of the most deserving President at the time, DDr. Hans Lauda the Dr. Hans Lauda Foundation launched. From this foundation, the DDr.Lauda prizes are awarded annually to people or Red Cross agencies who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements in the context of the Red Cross work.

Furthermore, the Austrian Red Cross awards the Heinrich Treichl Prize for special merits in humanity, in memory of its former President Heinrich Treichl since 1993, Treichl's 80th birthday.

marketing

In 2017, the Austrian Red Cross won the State Prize for PR for the "Save the Rescue" campaign. The campaign was planned and implemented by the Viennese campaign expert Philipp Maderthaner and his campaigning bureau. In the course of the campaign, more than 28,000 supporters registered online.

In 2018, the Austrian Red Cross brand was ranked ahead of Austria and Google as the strongest brand by Young & Rubicam .

See also

Portal: Red Cross  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the topic of the Red Cross

literature

  • Austrian Red Cross (Ed.): The Red Cross. Worldwide and in Austria. ÖRK Purchasing and Service GmbH, Vienna 2002, ISBN 978-3-902332-03-5 .
  • Elke Endraß: The benefactor. Why Henry Dunant founded the Red Cross. Wichern Verlag, Berlin 2010, ISBN 3-88981-288-0 .

Web links

Commons : Austrian Red Cross  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Our help in figures 2017. Accessed on August 9, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Consolidated federal law: Entire legal provision for the Red Cross Act, version dated December 8, 2018. In: ris.bka.gv.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Red Cross: The Red Cross Principles. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  4. ^ Johanna Hofer: The Red Cross worldwide and in Austria . Ed .: Austrian Red Cross. Austrian Red Cross, Vienna 2003, ISBN 978-3-902332-03-5 , p. 33 .
  5. ↑ a b c d Red Cross Tyrol: The beginning. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Elke Endraß: The benefactor: Why Henry Dunant founded the Red Cross . Ed .: Uwe Birnstein. Wichern, Berlin 2010, ISBN 3-88981-288-0 , p. 72-73 .
  7. ↑ Elke Endraß: The benefactor. Why Henry Dunant founded the Red Cross. 2010, pp. 76-77.
  8. ^ Red Cross Upper Austria: The story. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  9. ^ Austrian Red Cross (ed.): The Red Cross. Worldwide and in Austria. 2002, pp. 33-34.
  10. ^ Felix Czeike: Historisches Lexikon Wien , Verlag Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna 1992-2004. "Emergency services" (Online: Emergency services in the Vienna History Wiki of the City of Vienna )
  11. ↑ Red Cross wants to take over Green Cross. In: wien.orf.at. July 20, 2015, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Red Cross and Green Cross merge. In: wien.orf.at. November 17, 2015, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Red Cross: Let's save the salvation! In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  14. ↑ Red Cross: In an emergency. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Red Cross Upper Austria: Resources. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  16. ^ Red Cross Salzburg: vehicles of the WCC LV Salzburg. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  17. ↑ Red Cross: Resource: Emergency doctor vehicle (NEF). In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  18. ↑ a b Annual Report of the Austrian Red Cross 2016. Austrian Red Cross, Wiedner Hauptstraße 32, 1041 Vienna, accessed on April 21, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Red Cross: Security at Events. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Austrian Red Cross: Annual Report 2012 (PDF; 3.9 MB)
  21. ↑ Red Cross is looking for stem cell donors. In: roteskreuz.at. November 15, 2018, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  22. ^ Red Cross Upper Austria: Health and Social Services. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  23. ^ Red Cross Lower Austria: Collaboration in the field of care and support. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  24. ^ Red Cross Salzburg: Care facilities. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  25. ^ Austrian Red Cross (Ed.): Regulation for the disaster relief service of the Austrian Red Cross . Vienna November 16, 2007 ( roteskreuz.at [accessed April 18, 2020]).
  26. ↑ a b Framework regulation for Red Cross units of the Austrian Red Cross. In: roteskreuz.at. October 24, 2019, accessed April 18, 2020 .
  27. ^ Regulations for the disaster relief service of the Austrian Red Cross. (PDF; 482 kB) In: roteskreuz.at. Austrian Red Cross, General Secretariat, November 16, 2007, accessed on April 27, 2018 .
  28. ^ Red Cross Vienna: Paramedics - Training. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  29. ^ Red Cross: First Aid Child Emergency Course. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  30. ↑ 2017 Annual Report , accessed December 8, 2018.
  31. ↑ Red Cross: The Austrian Red Cross. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  32. ^ Red Cross: General Secretariat. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  33. ↑ Austrian Red Cross: Annual Report on Ambulance Service 2012 ( Memento from December 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  34. ^ Red Cross: Regional Associations. In: roteskreuz.at. Retrieved December 8, 2018 .
  35. ↑ Annual Report of the Austrian Red Cross 2015. pp. 21–22 , accessed on May 5, 2014 .
  36. ^ Austrian Red Cross: Annual Report 2010. p. 6 , accessed on May 5, 2015 .
  37. ↑ according to §6 Abs. 1 UStG
  38. ↑ Awards of the Austrian Red Cross. May 31, 2012, accessed December 1, 2015 .
  39. ↑ Awarding of the 2015 DDr.Lauda Prizes. June 15, 2015, accessed on December 1, 2015 .
  40. ↑ Red Cross awards the Treichl Prize. September 14, 2015, accessed December 1, 2015 .
  41. ↑ Austrian Red Cross: Red Cross: Save the rescue: Red Cross wins state PR award. Retrieved June 26, 2018 .
  42. ↑ Red Cross as the strongest brand in the Wiener Zeitung on May 10, 2018, accessed on May 10, 2018.