St John Singapore

St John Singapore, previously known as St John Ambulance Singapore, is a voluntary secular organisation in Singapore which provides training in First Aid and Home Nursing. It is affiliated with the Order of St. John based in the UK. Its ambulance members (male members) and nursing members (female members) perform voluntary first aid coverage duties during national events and other events. It comprises 3 sub-organisations, namely the St John Brigade Singapore, St John Association Singapore, St John Fellowship Singapore.
The National Headquarters (NHQ) is located at 420 Beach Road and was officially opened on July 23, 1960 by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (and subsequently President of Singapore), Encik Yusof bin Ishak.
National St. John Council.
Appointment Holders.
St John Singapore comes under the command of the National St John Council. The following are the incumbent appointment holders.
Aims.
Apart from promoting and assisting St John Ambulance Association & Brigade as well as to raise the necessary funds to support their work, the main objects of the Council, are briefly as follows:
St John Brigade Singapore.
Appointment Holders.
St John Brigade Singapore comes under the command of the Brigade Executive Committee which is led by appointment holders.
Organisational Structure.
St John Brigade Singapore consists predominantly of cadet members who join the organisation as their CCA in secondary school. Presently, each school that has a St. John unit, referred to as a corps, is organised into 1 of 5 Districts.
Core Competencies.
Typically, cadet members undergo training in four core competencies – First Aid, Home Nursing (for Nursing members), Transportation of Casualty (for Ambulance members), Foot Drill and Physical Training. These are conducted through Routine Training and other Training Camps that vary from Corps to Corps and Zone to Zone. In the interest of holistic development, cadet members also have the opportunity to participate in enrichment activities which can allow them to earn Cadet Proficiency Badges. Outstanding cadet members are awarded the prestigious Chief Commissioner's Badge after attaining 12 proficiency badges (with 2 from each of the 4 badge groups, Knowledge of the Order of St John (KOTO) Badge, and the Total Defence Badge).
St John Day.
As St John the Baptist Day, June 24, normally falls during the Singapore School Holidays, corps typically observe St. John Day on the first Wednesday after school reopens. On that day, members don their Brigade Uniform during official school hours. A St John Day message by the Chief Commissioner is read out by the Principal or student leader during the morning flag raising ceremony. Where possible, the St John Flag is also raised alongside the State Flag and the respective School Flag. On this day also, members reaffirm their loyalty to the Republic of Singapore and affirm their commitment to the twin mottoes of the Order, 'For the Faith' and 'For the Service of Mankind', in reciting the St John Pledge.
Badges.
Brigade Badges.
The following badges are listed in order of precedence:
National First Aid and Home Nursing Competition.
The National First Aid and Home Nursing Competition, typically referred to as the National First Aid Competition (NFAC), is an annual inter-district competition in which all 5 districts send teams to compete in each of the 4 categories. Prior to the NFAC, each district organises its own Inter-Corps First Aid and Home Nursing Competition with a similar competition framework. The 4 champion teams from each district represent their respective districts in the NFAC.
Competition Categories.
The 4 categories are listed below:
Competition Framework.
There are 2 frameworks for the competition, one for the Ambulance categories and one for the Nursing categories.
Ambulance Category Framework.
AA and AC teams are expected to complete the following as part of the competition:
Nursing Category Framework.
NA and NC teams are expected to complete the following as part of the competition:
Dress Regulations.
Uniforms.
At present, there are a total of 4 uniforms of St. John Brigade Singapore, which are listed as follows:
Cadet members are presently only entitled to wear the Field Uniform, which is also the most widely recognised uniform of the St. John Brigade Singapore. The Field Uniform consists of a black beret with a cap badge, depending on which is entitled to the wearer. Nursing members wear a hairnet as well. The top consists of a white short-sleeved shirt / blouse with plastic concealed buttons. For female members, due to the white uniform, bras should be of decent colours if worn. Shoulder flashes bearing the Maltese Cross with twin beasts and unicorns, together with the words "St. John Singapore" are worn on both sleeves. A black epaulette is worn on both shoulders denoting the rank of the member. The bottom consists of black pants / culottes, which is worn with the St. John belt. Black socks and black low-cut boots are worn with the shoelaces tied in the formal-style.
For Presidents, Senior Officers, Officers and Warrant Officers, the following 4 uniforms are worn:
Rank Structure.
As a uniformed organisation that has a military heritage that originated with the Order of St. John, a rank structure used to distinguish members and appointment holders. In general, the rank one holds within the organisation corresponds with his / her appointment.
Orders, Decorations and Medals.
Officers and members are entitled to receive the following Orders, Decorations and Medals: