What is LINKS?

  A St. John Ambulance in London. Photo: Adrian Pingstone 2005.

St. John Ambulance
St. John Ambulance (SJA) is a British, and international, charity dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid. There are many groups (priories) across different countries, and the collective falls under the direction of the Order of St. John. The order's mottoes are Pro fide (For the faith) and Pro utilitate hominum (For the service of mankind).

During 2004, St. John Ambulance volunteers in England helped over 128,000 patients, and the fleet of around 1,300 vehicles travelled over 900,000 miles supporting St. John Ambulance's First Aid and care work.

Training and skills
Most members are volunteers, and complete a number of medical qualifications, ranging from a basic Emergency First Aid course and the First Aid At Work (FAW) course recognised by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), through to advanced Emergency Ambulance Attendant training which covers many of the competancies of the National Health Service Ambulance Technicians.

Once qualified, members are free to volunteer their time in public duty, covering a variety of public events such as major football matches, concerts and gigs, smaller community events such as 'fun days', and even (qualifications permitting) crewing of emergency ambulances.

LINKS Units
These units were originally established at universities to form a 'link' between cadet and adult membership of SJA, allowing members to carry on their membership and maintain their skills whilst in higher education. Today, LINKS is one of the fastest growing sections of SJA, and many LINKS members are completely new to SJA when they join at university.

LINKS units differ from other sections in that we do not use a rank structure, instead having a democratically elected committee, in line with the constitutions of many Student Unions for student societies.

The Structure of St. John Ambulance in England

Over 62% of SJA members in England are under the age of 25, and this number is continuing to increase as thousands of new recruits join each year, bringing continuous new opportunities for YOU within the organisation.

Sources: Wikipedia, St. John Ambulance