July 5, 2022: St John Ambulance has joined around 40 paramedics associations, further education providers and affiliated organisations from around the world to celebrate International Paramedics Day on Friday, 8 July 2022.

The global celebration – to become an annual day - is being launched by the College of Paramedics, the professional body for paramedics and the ambulance profession in the UK to salute the personal sacrifices and life-saving efforts made by paramedics and first responders.

The theme for the inaugural International Paramedics Day is ‘Proud to be a Paramedic' hopes to resonate widely with students, paramedics and first responders around the world.

St John Ambulance Chief Paramedic Martin Berry said, “St John Ambulance is proud to be a part of this important day to acknowledge the amazing work paramedics do, day in, day out under unprecedented demand.

“Many of our young Cadet volunteers are inspired by the work they see our paramedics do to take up careers in emergency healthcare – and it is fitting the theme is ‘Proud to be a Paramedic’ – until now, they really have been unsung heroes, so this day matters.”

St John’s Ask Me campaign highlights our varied youth programme work for young people aged 5-25 helping them gain skills to save lives where they live and work. Through these youth programmes, many young people discover to choose a career in healthcare.

There are currently 31,400 paramedics registered in the UK. St John has around 350 paramedics, the majority of which are volunteers. The UK College of Paramedics said more than 10 million 999 calls were made in 2021 – the highest ever figure in a single year and   almost a million more calls than the previous record in 2019 when 9.1 million 999 calls were made.

The UK College of Paramedics says the day is about ‘coming together, championing the profession and sharing stories and images of the work paramedics do, it is our hope that International Paramedics Day will indeed become a prominent, global event that acknowledges and celebrates our profession’s achievements.’

International Paramedics Day is one of the most important days of the year to:

• Celebrate paramedics and first responders around the globe
• Promote the profession
• Acknowledge the difference they can make in an emergency or crisis
• To raise awareness and champion all the places where paramedics work including primary and secondary care, GP surgeries, military, offshore, research, education, helicopter emergency medical services and telephone triage systems

International Paramedics Day will be celebrated every year on July 8 because this marks the anniversary of the birth of Dominique Jean Larrey, the French military doctor who became Napoleon Bonaparte’s chief surgeon of the Grand Armee, often referred to as the 'father of modern-day ambulance services.'

Visit www.internationalparamedicsday.com for more information or visit www.sja.org.uk to learn about St John Ambulance’ youth programmes or to volunteer.