Irish Red Cross volunteers are often called in when activities on the water go wrong. Pictured are Sonia Howard and Heide Somers (Dublin Borrough 1 team) giving first aid to Keiran Weldon (Meath) at the National Red Cross First Aid Finals for the PresidentÂ's Perpetual Trophy on 13th May 2006 at University of Limerick

Youngsters from as young as 12 years and people of every age upwards will participate in the competitions which will test their abilities to cope effectively with traumatised, sick and injured casualties in life-like and realistic scenarios.

This year's event see all First Aid competitions taking place at one time in one place and marks a new departure with some fun challenges for younger members that require skills other than First Aid.

"Young people need to know that no matter what their interest or ability, we in the Red Cross have activities that will involve them in fun activities and give them the opportunity to acquire new skills in a whole range of areas that will last a lifetime," explained Irish Red Cross Vice-Chairman, Tony Lawlor.

"We're keen for parents to encourage their children and teenagers to give their local Red Cross Branch a call this autumn and join the Red Cross - the largest humanitarian organisation in the world.

"With 97 million members worldwide there is no better way to get involved in their own local community and in the bigger global community too," he added.

This weekend's event will also showcase the very best of life-saving First Aid skills, with more experienced First Aiders competing for top place in a series of individual and team events. Among the most prestigious of these is the President's Perpetual Trophy. Winners of this competition – named in honour of the President of Ireland who is also the President of the Irish Red Cross – will represent Ireland at the annual European First Aid championships.

The highest standards in life-saving First Aid skills are needed for competitors in this event who face rigorous testing of their ability to cope under extreme pressure.

Because it is often Red Cross personnel who rescue people from serious accidents, the competitions contain life-like "scenarios" or mock incidents where teams perform First Aid on seriously injured casualties. Injuries can range from limb breakages to serious head wounds, heart attacks and other conditions.

"Every day communities across Ireland rely on our members to comfort them and in some cases save their lives. These competitions are not only dramatic reconstructions of real events; they are also a serious test of our members' ability to meet the needs of their communities in times of crisis and emergency," said Tony Lawlor.

Pictures: Jean-Pierre Launay at +353 (86) 879 8895 or by email tophoto-j-p-launay@iol.ie. Pictures are viewable on www.launay-photo.com

Further information about this event can be found here: