Saudi Red Crescent marks World First Aid Day with three global awards

The Saudi Red Crescent Authority is marking World First Aid Day with awareness and training programs across the Kingdom, coinciding with its recent achievement of three global rankings at the 2026 First Aid World Cup. These milestones reflect the Kingdom’s progress in promoting first aid awareness, boosting community readiness, and empowering individuals to help save lives.

To mark the occasion, the authority is organizing a series of public events and awareness booths, as well as workshops, lectures, and training sessions. The aim is to equip all segments of society with essential first aid skills, correct misconceptions and unsafe practices, and enhance the ability to respond quickly and safely in the crucial first minutes of emergencies until professional teams arrive.

This year’s celebration follows the authority’s success at the 2026 First Aid World Cup, where its team secured three global positions among 162 teams from 85 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide. The authority won first place globally in the Public Awareness Challenge, second place in the First Aid and Resuscitation Innovation Challenge, and third place in the Scenario-Based First Aid Response Challenge.

Winning first place in the Public Awareness Challenge highlights the authority’s efforts to turn first aid knowledge into a widespread community culture and practical skill. Through targeted programs and initiatives, the authority aims to raise first aid awareness and expand access to training, empowering community members to act appropriately during emergencies.

The authority also earned second place globally in the First Aid and Resuscitation Innovation Challenge with its “Responder” app, which enables qualified individuals with first aid skills to assist in nearby emergencies. The app notifies and guides them to the scene to provide initial aid until professional teams arrive, putting first aid knowledge into action and transforming community members from passive recipients to active lifesavers during the critical first minutes of an emergency.

Securing third place in the Scenario-Based First Aid Response Challenge demonstrates the readiness and competence of Saudi teams in handling various emergency scenarios. It reflects their ability to assess situations and apply appropriate first aid measures according to best practices—skills the authority seeks to further develop and spread throughout the community.

The authority emphasized that these achievements align with the message of World First Aid Day: making first aid skills more accessible to the public. Possessing the knowledge, skills, and ability to intervene early can make a crucial difference in the first minutes of an emergency, helping save lives and reduce complications.

World First Aid Day is observed annually on the second Saturday of September to raise awareness of the importance of first aid and enhance the community’s ability to respond quickly and safely to accidents, emergencies, and crises.