Austrian Red Cross

The Austrian Red Cross ("Österreichisches Rotes Kreuz", ÖRK) is the national Red Cross-Organization in Austria and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established on March 14, 1880 and is the biggest aid agency in the country.

Duties

Its duties contain:
* Emergency medical services and transport services - The Red cross is dominating this service in Austria, there are over 6000 rescue missions and transports every day.
* Blood-donation-service - 95% of the donated blood is provided by the red cross
* Social- and healthcare-programs
* Disaster Services
* Educational service (first-aid-training for driving licences,...)
* International Tracing Service - After WWII and nowadays afterbig disasters.
* Supervision of international humanitarian law

Most employees are volunteers, in the year 2004 45.000 were counted.

Presidents oft the ÖRK

* Karl Baron of Tinti (1880 - 1884)
* Franz Earl Falkenhayn (1885 - 1898)
* Prince Alois Schönburg-Hartenstein (1899 - 1913)
* Rudolf Earl of Abensperg-Traun (1913 - 1919)
* Dr. Max Vladimir Eck (1919 - 1938)
* Dr. Adolf Pilz (1945)
* Karl Seitz (1946 - 1950)
* Univ.-Prof. Dr. Burghard Breitner (1950 - 1956)
* DDr.h.c. Hans Lauda (1956 - 1974)
* Dr. Heinrich Treichl (1974 - 1999)
* Fredy Mayer (seit 1999)

National Organisation

The organisation persists of 9 subordinate national organisations, all are their own entities but are bound to the basic principles of the Austrian Red Cross. This has historical reasons, the national organisation originated out of many small, local aid organisations.

* National Association Burgenland
* National Association Carinthia
* National Association Lower Austria
* National Association Upper Austria
* National Association Salzburg
* National Association Styria
* National Association Tyrol
* National Association Vorarlberg
* National Association Vienna

These consist of totally 142 district offices and 956 local offices.

External links

* [http://www.roteskreuz.at Official Website]
* [http://suchdienst.roteskreuz.at ÖRK International Tracing Service]
* [http://www.blut.at Blood donations]