St John Association of Barbados

Who we are

The St John Ambulance Brigade was established in Barbados in 1942.  St John played an important role during the Second World War attending to injured survivors of torpedoed ships.  On 16 February 1954, the National St John Council was established by Lieutenant General Sir Otto Lund, the British Commissioner-in-Chief.

Our mission is to provide a quality service to our communities through training, education, information, first aid and care. 

Barbados at a glance

Barbados is situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent island nation in the western Atlantic Ocean. The country lies in the southern Caribbean region, where it is a part of the Lesser Antilles island-chain. Its closest island neighbours are St. Vincent and St. Lucia to the west. To the south lies Trinidad and Tobago with which Barbados now shares a fixed official maritime boundary and the South American mainland, Barbados's total land area is about 430 square kilometres (166 square miles), and is primarily low-lying, with some higher regions in the island's interior.

The population of Barbados is estimated as 280,946 in 2007 and has one of the highest standards of living and literacy rates worldwide. Barbados's human development index ranking is consistently among the top 50 in the world. For example, in 2006, it was ranked 31st in the world, and third in the Americas, behind Canada and the United States.

Historically, the economy of Barbados had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but in recent years it has diversified into the manufacturing and tourism sectors. Offshore finance and information services have become increasingly important foreign exchange earners, and there is a healthy light manufacturing sector.

What we do

First Aid Training: St John Barbados provides commercial First Aid training for companies and local authorities. It also runs First Aid training within communities on a voluntary basis and is keen to increase this aspect of their work.

Public Duties: St John Barbados volunteers attend major events to provide First Aid care to the general public.

Youth: There are currently 24 cadets who are very enthusiastic.

Links

St John Barbados has strong links with St John in the English county of Devon.