Community First Responders

The St John Ambulance Asia Pacific Regional Youth Competition 2026 (APRYC) brought cadets from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore together in Hong Kong on 24–25 July 2026. Hosted by the Hong Kong St John Ambulance Brigade as part of its 110th Anniversary celebrations, the competition reflected the theme “Together We Serve, We Connect”, celebrating first aid, teamwork, youth leadership and the longstanding friendship across the St John family.

• Winner: Excellence in Patient Care: SJWA State Defibrillator Network improves Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) patient outcomes
• Winner: Excellence in Mental Health & Wellbeing: PAWS: Early intervention for strengthening Wellbeing
• Finalist: Excellence in Staff Development: Transforming SJWA Driver Training through legislative reform and evidence-based practice

We are proud to announce that the National St John Ambulance Service of Papua New Guinea has received the Excellence in Staff Development Award at the Council of Ambulance Authorities’ 2026 Awards for Excellence.

The award recognises the National Ambulance Education College: Building PNG’s Pre-hospital Workforce initiative, which was judged alongside leading ambulance programs from Australia and New Zealand.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Use of an AED can dramatically improve survival rates, but only if a device is nearby. By making defibrillation more portable than ever before, the Pocket AED helps remove one of the biggest barriers to emergency response: proximity.

St John Ambulance Association of Tanzania continues to lead the way in emergency preparedness by taking first aid directly to the people. In the last quarter, our teams were on the ground at two major public gatherings, providing life-saving cover while educating thousands on the importance of being first aid ready.

A routine medical transfer from Sark to Guernsey became an unforgettable journey when baby Harriet was born aboard the Flying Christine III. Thanks to the calm teamwork of the medical team and volunteer crew, mother and baby were safely cared for throughout the unexpected delivery.

St John Ambulance of Malaysia (SJAM) celebrated its 118th anniversary with a charity dinner in Kuala Lumpur, reaffirming its commitment to humanitarian service, emergency response and community healthcare. The milestone celebration highlighted SJAM’s ongoing efforts to bring life-saving skills, healthcare support and humanitarian assistance closer to communities across Malaysia.

St John Ambulance Ghana volunteers were recognised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, during her visit to Accra, as she heard about their commitment to serving communities and making a difference in people’s lives.