36 More Drivers Get Licenses to Administer First Aid
Yet another class of drivers trained to administer first aid got their licenses at a special ceremony at the Bulgarian Red Cross Building today. In addition to their paperwork, the newly minted rescue volunteers (36 of them) received specialized equipment including first aid kits, high-visibility vests and jackets. This is to make sure that they leave the classroom fully prepared to administer first aid following traffic or other accidents. Their training is part of the Active Security Club’s Active Care Project developed in conjunction with the Bulgarian Red Cross.
“Everyone knows about the problems Bulgarian first aid services are faced with. We developed the Active Care Project in an attempt help our colleagues and to make it possible for people to get access to first aid within 10 minutes. Our idea is to use cab drivers, mobile crews, medical motorcycles and helicopters to provide first aid” said Mr. Hristo Grigorov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Red Cross.
Thanks to the Active Care Project, by the end of the summer the first 15 fully trained taxi drivers left the classrooms. Besides the trained taxi drivers, in case of an accident first aid will be provided with the help of a medical helicopter. The graduates from the first aid training courses were given their licenses by the Chairman of the Active Security Club, Mr. Stefan Sofianski, and the Club’s secretary, Mr. Veselin Mihaylov.
“I am thankful to you for volunteering for this training because we are making history here. What we are doing now was inconceivable just a year ago. Now you are about to make history as the trailblazers of a new model of providing first aid in Bulgaria. We are here because this country needs more good will, humanity, and willingness to help your fellow man” added Mr. Stefan Sofianski. Mr. Veselin Mihaylov expressed his hope that the new rescue volunteers will become true warriors in the fight for safety.
The Active Care Project started in July of 2014. It is a public-private partnership of the Bulgarian Red Cross and the Active Security Club Association. It is being implemented with the financial support of ZK Lev Ins AD. The Project’s goal is to assist government efforts in the field of first aid and emergency medicine by offering the services of medical teams organized in accordance with the best European practices and to provide access to first aid to as many people as possible across the country. The successful implementation of the Active Care Project prompted Lev Ins to develop its unique Active Care Insurance which is a guarantee for security on the mountain and on the road.
