St. John Ambulance BC and Yukon - Canada's Leading First Aid and Safety Charity
Who We Are
As Canada’s leading first aid and safety charity, St. John Ambulance remains committed to our history of caring and saving lives. Our mission is to enable Canadians' health, safety and quality of life through training and community service, and we live our mission by practicing the values of teamwork, respect, loyalty, and integrity.
At St. John Ambulance of British Columbia and the Yukon, we provide online and local safety training courses as well as an online retail store for first aid and safety products for your work, home and play.
To visit the St. John Ambulance Canada site, please visit www.sja.ca.
Our Difference
At St. John Ambulance, we focus all of our efforts to ensure people are S.E.T with Safety Education & Tools at work, home and play.
Through our training and products, our impactful team and history, and our dedicated charitable community services, St. John Ambulance is the Safety Partner for every resident in British Columbia and the Yukon.
What We Do
Building on a 900-year tradition, St. John Ambulance partners with individuals and organizations to provide first aid and CPR training and products. As a self-funded charity, proceeds from training and product support our volunteer-based community care programs.
In British Columbia and Yukon, we serve our communities through a network of 25 branches and 100 staff members, where we train over 80,000 students annually through our 10,000+ classes. Our volunteers also provide first aid in their communities to keep people safe at public events, and also improve quality of life through community care programs that help seniors, and provide leadership opportunities for our youth. We are consistently campaigning to raise public awareness of first aid, CPR, and safety and strive to have every British Columbian and Yukonian S.E.T. with Safety Education Tools at work, home and play.
A History of Caring
As one of the oldest humanitarian organizations in the world, the Order of St. John first established its unmatched history of caring and saving lives more than nine centuries ago. Generation after generation, the Order of St. John moved wherever human suffering and conflict called out to them, and with each new community they entered, a new hospital was established.
1798
The military activities of the Order of St. John come to an end when Napoleon captures Malta. The Knights of St. John devote themselves to charity.
1870-1877
The Order of St. John in England offers to do ambulance work in the field during the Franco-Prussian War. The Order in England forms the St. John Ambulance Association to teach first aid, home nursing and related subjects.
1883
St. John Ambulance is established in Canada.
1887-1888
Volunteers in the St. John Ambulance Association form the St. John Ambulance Brigade, echoing the traditions of the highly disciplined military knights. Queen Victoria grants a Royal Charter to the Order.
1911
St. John Ambulance is established in B.C.
1914-1918
During the First World War, the Order of St. John, as part of the Joint War Committee in England, helps establish a massive effort to provide medical services and field hospitals.
1939-1945
During the Second World War, St. John’s role included organizing the national anti-gas training program, running first aid posts in London’s subway stations during the Blitz, assisting prisoners of war, and providing medical reserves and volunteer nurses to serve with the Allied Forces.
1946
Canada becomes a Priory of the Most Venerable Order of St. John.
1987
St. John Ambulance Medical First Response volunteers treat more than 2,500 patients at the Winter Olympics in Calgary. The St. John Ambulance brigade also celebrates in the UK for a century of service and achievement. Over 40,000 brigade members from all over the world attend the celebration, and another 120,000 St. John Ambulance supporters.
1990
The Order of St. John is formally incorporated into the Canadian honours system as a Canadian order – the only charitable organization to be included to date.
1992
St. John Ambulance creates the Therapy Dog program in Peterborough, Ontario to provide affection and comfort to the sick, bedridden, elderly, and lonely.
2006
St. John Ambulance partners with Public Safety Canada and four other organizations to launch the 72 Hour Campaign, encouraging Canadians to be self-sufficient in the event of an emergency.
2015
St. John Ambulance volunteers provide Medical First Response for spectators at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C.