Austrian Red Cross (ORK)
Brief Biography of Organisation:
The Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) is a non-profit organization based on the Red Cross law in Austria. It is guided by the fundamental principles of the Red Cross Movement and it implements its humanitarian activities with the help of volunteers and employees. Through its activities, AutRC aims to help the most vulnerable in society, both at national as well as at international level. In Austria, AutRC has a network of around 71.000 volunteers and 8.600 employees, and at the headquarters it employs around 500 staff members. AutRC is the Austrian member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. AutRC is mandated by authorities at all levels (district, regional, national) to be in charge of c&c of emergency medical and psychosocial situation. In the field of civil protection AutRC is providing the following services to the public – mandated by law – all over Austria: Emergency Medical Services, Ambulance Services, First-Responder Services, Humanitarian disaster relief, Psychosocial Support, First Aid-Training for the population, Paramedic-Training. Relevant research activities AutRC is the biggest provider of emergency medical service (EMS) dispatch in Austria. It is a very active actor in civil protection in Europe (trainings, exercises, missions, committees, exchange of experts, etc.) and has a remarkable record of project-work on international, european (including FP7, Horizon 2020 and DG ECHO) and national level, both as coordinating as well as participating beneficiary (50+ co-financed projects within the past 5 years).
Role Organisation will play within project:
The AutRC brings its expertise as an emergency response organisation participating actively in the management and response of large emergencies and disasters. The knowledge acquired in the management of the current pandemic will help the consortium to develop solutions that supports the work of health authorities and first responders when facing future pandemics.
