EC First Aid meeting – Toward European recognition of first aid certificates

From 27th February to 1st March, first aid experts from 8 SAM.I. member organisations convened in Berlin to continue their work on a recommendation document for European standards in first aid education.

First aid certificates can be vocational requirements, for instance if a position with safety responsibilities prescribes training in first aid. In a European labour market, this sometimes leads to complications, when certificates an employee has acquired in one country are not recognised in another. The long-term goal of the European Committee for First Aid Education (EC First Aid) is to contribute to the reciprocal recognition of first aid training in EU member states.

The meeting was preceded by a survey on differences in first aid education in the member organisation’s countries, which gave the group a basis for developing a format and framework for bringing together their respective practices and standards.

The Samaritans do not have to start from scratch – the EC First Aid has set an outline of minimum standards before, in form of the European First Aid Certificate. There are also detailed descriptions of first aid measures defined for the bi-annual Samaritan Contest. The task of the group is to find a format and a level of description that is compatible with existing national regulations on vocational first aid requirements. The final recommendation document will represent a common denominator that requires as few opt-outs and exceptions for national specifics as possible.

The recommendation paper will be presented at this year’s Samaritan Forum in Bolzano.