The AASC (approved civil protection associations) are non-profit first aid associations governed by the law of 1901. They have three main activities: training, running first aid stations and participating in emergency plans. Although they are independent bodies, their activity is governed by decrees and orders (within the framework of the Civil Security Act), the application of which is implemented and monitored by the Civil Security Training and Associations Office of the Fire Brigade Sub-Directorate of the Directorate of Defence and Civil Security (DDSC) of the Ministry of the Interior.
First aid associations are auxiliaries of the public authorities. They frequently intervene alongside other actors (firefighters, emergency medical services) during an emergency plan (red plan, white plan, Orsec plan, etc.).
Aggregation
The first aid association can be approved to be a trainer and to ensure that people can help victims while waiting for help to arrive (civic duty).
Approval is issued, after verification of the associations’ competences, to authorise them, as the case may be:
– to carry out Security and Civil Protection missions, in support of the public authorities (participation in rescuing the injured, rescue missions, evacuation,…) or to set up emergency systems during gatherings of people
– To provide teaching and training in life-saving first gestures (e.g. white cross)
Ebrigade, a web application that has become essential for optimal organization of staff and activities.
It is a tool that will make life easier for all first aid associations.
Skills management
Skills tracking
Members of first aid associations must train regularly and be continuously updated in terms of skills. Indeed, some first aid diplomas have an annual validity that must be renewed regularly. With eBrigade you have a follow-up of all the skills of your staff members.
Add skills
You can insert the skills of all staff, link up to further training and have access to a programmable skills hierarchy. You can also add a start and end date, generate diplomas or even include one skill with another. With the addition of start and end dates, you will be able to immediately know if your skills are still valid or not (expired skills are in a different color than the others).
Management of training activities
Training activities
In line with the main activities of first aid associations, the eBrigade tool offers adapted functionalities.
First, the app offers training activities. You can choose the type of training (initial, continuing, initiation, prerequisites, etc.), the number of people who will be able to enrol and the skills you will obtain following this training. When people want to register, they will have the option to go to a site describing the training.
Registration for training courses
Registration for these training activities can be open to both internal and external staff of your association. You have the option to charge for the training for external members. This can make it possible, for example, to provide internal training for their members or to train the general public in first aid (PSC1, PSE) as the French Red Cross can do for example.
Interest of training
First aid training and learning first aid gestures allow, for example, to save a person in cardiac arrest, by applying emergency gestures (cardiac massage) and knowing how to use a defibrillator, it also makes it possible to take care of an unconscious person. Having the right reflexes and applying the right gestures can save the lives of victims. You will learn how to react to discomfort, haemorrhages, trauma, obstruction (suffocation), burns, etc.
Special type of training
The training can also correspond to the SST (first aid at work). The aim is to train a company employee to provide first aid to any victim of an accident at work or illness, but also to be an actor in prevention in his company. He will be able to take charge of the situation and alert the emergency services quickly.
Planning and organization
Presence of first aid associations
First aid associations can run a first aid station to cover a seasonal or one-off event. For this, it is necessary for them to have operational means and personnel at their disposal . EBrigade offers another solution for this. Its interface provides a real-time view of everything related to logistics (equipment, vehicle, consumables). It is therefore possible to control these elements directly via the app. You will have the possibility to manage stocks in order to know if there is a lack of equipment or if stocks are low for example.
Personnel Management
EBrigade also allows you to manage all the association’s staff . Staff schedules and schedules are accessible in a few clicks.
Prevention and identification of risks
First aid associations are often present in prevention during one-off or seasonal events, for example sea rescuers (SNSM). The eBrigade application makes it possible to calculate the Ratio of First Aid Responders (RIS) which determines the sizing of the emergency forecasting systems (DPS). That is to say, for each activity created, eBrigade determines the risks that may arise. Several criteria are taken into account to calculate the risk: the number of people in the public, whether they are sitting or standing, the reception environment and the response time of the public emergency services. Depending on the options you tick, indicators will be added up to calculate the number of first aiders needed for the activity.
Read our article on the FASC (AASC group)
Mathieu LACROIX
National Technical Director of the FFSS First Aid Association
- What do you like most about eBrigade?
Difficult to choose… Personnel and event management in eBrigade.
- What for?
To have the possibility of centralizing all our human and material resources and all our operational activities in a single application.
- How much time would you estimate per day saved since using Brigade?
More than 300 associations in the FFSS network use ebrigade. It is difficult to estimate the time saved per day… But once set up, I believe that the eBrigade application allows us to divide by 3 the time spent on the management of our missions…
- What has eBrigade brought you since its use?
The ability to follow our network.
A more accurate knowledge of our people, our material resources and our activities.
Real-time monitoring of certain missions.
- Name 3 situations where eBrigade has been indispensable to you
To allow our first responders to position themselves on missions.
Establish the mandatory documents to organize our DPS (conventions, mission orders, etc …)
Carry out annual activity reports.
