INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE FIRST RESPONDER

This post is also available in:

 

Today, First Responders’ Day is celebrated in memory of the Battle of Solferino, Italy, where Henry Dunant, of Swiss origin, devoted himself, with the help of other residents, to assisting the wounded without distinction as to the side for which they fought or the ideology they held.

 

It was 1859 when a man witnessed the War of Solferino, an inhumane war not very different from other wars, in which men confronted one another, where winning was the mission and killing the enemy the objective.

In 1862, an International Relief Movement was born, dedicated to humanitarian aid, which would later be recognized worldwide as the Red Cross.

In El Salvador, a new volunteer movement emerged in 1962: the Asociación Comandos de Salvamento Guardavidas Independientes de El Salvador, young volunteers who provide assistance in emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Twenty-two years later, Cruz Verde Salvadoreña emerged; its members now also form part of the Protección Civil System, together with government entities, in order to assist in cases of natural disasters and accidents of all kinds.

On First Responders’ Day, the Board of Directors and the Executive Directorate extend a warm greeting and, above all, their gratitude to each of the young first responders who dedicate their time every day to humanitarian work.

Volunteer men and women who leave their families and become part of the great Comandos de Salvamento de El Salvador family, to help others regardless of their race, religion, or political creed; their only mission is to save the life of their fellow human being.