Austrian Red Cross


The Austrian Red Cross 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, by Doctor Adam Lichtenheld of the Vienna General Hospital and is the biggest aid agency in the country.

Duties

Its duties contain:
By far, most staff members are volunteers, but there are professional employees as well as drafted Zivildienst, which are conscientious objectors forced to serve up to nine months time in medical service, instead of military service.

Presidents of the ÖRK

The organisation persists of nine 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.
These consist of totally 142 district offices and 956 local offices.