Laois Red Cross hosts Euro 2001 knockout

The President's Perpetual Trophy competition, tests top-level First Aid skills and is amongst the most prestigious Red Cross events held nationally, having been the first national competition to be organised by the Irish Red Cross shortly after its foundation. The competition also serves as a national knockout stage for the annual European Championships which sees all national Red Cross societies from across Europe vying for top prize.

This year's competition hosted by Laois Red Cross in Ballyfin proved a serious test for skilled Red Cross First-Aiders with the normally tranquil lakeside landscape transformed into a virtual reality "disaster zone".

Local Area Director of Units Peter Middleton was the Director of Competitions for the day and played a key role in devising the tough series of tests. The objective was to provide a range of realistic "accidents" which all Red Cross First Aid units must be prepared for at all times.

Irish Red Cross First Aid units from across the country vied with one another to prove their speed, accuracy and care in each of four different accidents. These included a head-on collision between two cars involving three female casualties, a boating incident with three male casualties and a fatality, a building-site accident and a fall.

Near-drowning, crush-injuries, head-wounds, broken and fractured limbs, shock, and potential heart failure were just some of the life-threatening "conditions" facing the Irish Red Cross teams from around the country.

Three male casualties had to be "treated" for hypothermia and other conditions arising from being nearly drowned when their raft overturned on the lake. No sooner had these casualties been treated then teams were called to deal with a mother and child who had been "crushed" by collapsing scaffolding and a builder who was "injured" in the fall at the mock-up building site in the school's handball alley.

At the gazebo, adjacent to the school, three young men required treatment for injuries sustained when they "fell-off" a wall on top of one another. While in the forest at the back of the school, a serious road traffic accident had been set-up involving a two-car collision with three female casualties requiring "treatment".

The Irish Red Cross have won the European Championships twice since the Championships were launched just ten years ago, and have been close runners up on a number of occasions. This year Ireland will be represented by Louth Red Cross at the Championships in September, while last year it was Cork who did the honours.

Dublin Borough which won this year's competition in Ballyfin will represent Ireland at the European Championships next year. Second place was taken by last year's winners, Louth, while Limerick took third place.

This is the third national event hosted by Laois Red Cross in the Patrician College, Ballyfin this year. Earlier this month, the Annual Youth Camp for 10 to 16 year olds saw hordes of young Red Cross members converge on Ballyfin for a weekend of fun and games.

The Youth Camp proved an enormous hit with Red Cross members from all over Ireland in spite of torrential rain. Although First-Aid skills were tested in a reconstruction, the main emphasis of the Youth Camp 2000 was on fun and friendship.

A range of activities including balloon modelling, T-shirt painting, stage-shows and a treasure trail were organised. And there was a heavy emphasis on outdoors activity including football, volleyball and tent-pitching, yet despite being under canvas for one of the wettest weekends of the summer, the Youth Camp was thoroughly enjoyed by all those who were there.

Prior to this Laois Red Cross also staged the Ambulance and Senior Individual competitions which provided another series of tests at the Ballyfin "disaster-zone" for teams from around the country.

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