The Gold
Cross, February, 1967
The idea of an international association for men and women engaged
in rescue and first aid work was born during the International
Fire Chief’s Convention in New York in August 1947. It
is true that men like Julian Wise of Virginia, William Borden
of New Jersey, Joseph McCarthy of Illinois and Eugene Fields
of Nebraska had for years discussed the need of a national organization
with William H. Stephenson as he traveled around the country
in behalf of mechanical resuscitation. But the idea of an international
association, to include the United States, Canada, Mexico and
other countries took form for the first time at a Resuscitation
Clinic, put on in the booth of Stephenson Corporation at this
IAFC Convention. It was the first clinic of its kind to be held
for rescue members of the fire service and featured oxygen therapy
along with manual and mechanical artificial respiration. To
it came First Aid leaders from the United States, Canada and
Mexico and Ester and William Stephenson began discussing with
them the idea of an International Association which met with
general approval. At the annual banquet, Mr. And Mrs. Stephenson
had an opportunity to discuss this matter further both with
Mayor William O’Dwyer of New York and Chief Frank C. McAuliffe
of the Chicago Fire Department, who that year was President
of IAFC. They were both so favorable that it was decided to
go forward with planning immediately.
In their separate travels
which followed covering the country both Mr. And Mrs. Stephenson
discussed launching International Rescue and First Aid Association
not only with leading workers in the field but with men
like; Dr. Herbert Stack, Director of New York University’s
Safety Center, Phil Rhynas of the Ontario Department of
Land and Forests, Col. James W. Wray of the Civil Air Patrol
and Captain Harold Berdine of the United States Coast Guard.
They agreed to help.
While putting on a program
at an Institute for Nurse Anesthetists in California in
1947 with the aid of Dr. Hugo Hullerman, Director of Professional
Services of the American Hospital Association, Mrs. Stephenson
prevailed on him to petition the AHA to co-sponsor the founding
of IRFAA. This he agreed to do.
The next step was the mailing
in April of 1948 of a letter to 200 selected leaders in
Rescue and First Aid in the United States and Canada and
one was sent to Mexico. It set forth the need of an international
organization and detailed it’s objectives. These included
the acting as a clearing house for aid and information,
the promotion of good teaching and raising of standards,
the information of new squads thereby spreading the movement
and the improvement of public relations. A questionnaire
was enclosed with a request for reactions.
The response was large,
prompt and favorable. In addition, the American Hospital
Association, while not sponsoring the new association, did
agree that it’s first convention could be held in Atlantic
City concurrently with it’s 50th Anniversary Meeting,
with privileges of attending meetings and visiting the exhibits.
It was now decided that Ester Stephenson should serve as
Active Chairman until officers were elected at the first
convention.
At her call, the first meeting
of the Planning Committee was held in the Chrysler Building
in New York, June 20, 1948. It consisted of three representatives
from New Jersey, three from Virginia, one from the United
States Coast Guard, one from the Emergency Division of the
New York Police Department and one from the New Jersey State
Police. Committees were selected and plans were made for
the first convention to be held in Atlantic City at the
Ritz Carlton Hotel, 19-20 September 1948, concurrently with
the American Hospital Association’s golden Anniversary
Meeting. Ester Stephenson continued as acting Chairman working
with and coordinating all committees and conducting all
correspondence while William Stephenson financed the enterprise
until the convention and worked on getting together an Advisory
Council consisting of a representative of the American Medical
Association, the National Safety Council. The American Red
Cross, the International Fire Chief’s Association,
the International Association of Chief’s of Police,
the United States Coast Guard and the American Hospital
Association.
The Atlantic City Convention
was a complete success. The principal opening address was
given by Dr. Robin Burkie, Director of the Henry Ford Hospital
in Detroit who was then President of the American Hospital
Association. He congratulated all those who worked to bring
about this beginning of IRFAA and on behalf of AHA wished
it every success and assured all that hospital members would
extend every cooperation.
Other speakers extended
similar assurances of cooperation from the Fire and Police
Services, the Coast Guard, the Industrial Safety Movement
and the Civil Air Patrol. Local greetings were extended
by David H. Slayback, the President of the New Jersey State
First Aid Council and now Executive Director of the IRFAA.
Dr. Marcellus Johnson of
Roanoke, Virginia Life Saving Corps was elected as first
president and the new organization was launched on a career
that has been most successful.
Today it has more than 600
squad members and individual membership is approximately
20,000. These members reside in the United States, Canada,
Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, England, Scotland, Japan, New Zealand
and Australia. For several years a magazine was published
combined with THE GOLD CROSS of the New Jersey State First
Aid Council. Then in February of 1957 IRFAA began to publish
it’s own magazine. "THE RESCUER" which has
grown steadily in content, quality and service to members.
At the Roanoke Convention
in 1961, William H. Stephenson proposed a Corporate Sustaining
Membership program whereby companies pledged $1000.00 and
paid $100.00 a year for 10 years. It was adopted and Stephenson
Corporation, J.H. Emerson Company, and the A.E. Halprin
Company were the first members. This number is now seven,
and it is increasing all the time.
The Eighteenth Annual Convention
in 1965 returned to Atlantic City and put on an outstanding
pre-convention Seminar, sponsored by the Trauma Committee
of the American College of Surgeons. Other conventions have
been held in Columbus & Toledo, Ohio; Johnson City,
Tennessee; Jacksonville & Miami, Florida; Greensboro,
North Carolina; Montreal, Canada; Minneapolis, Minnesota;
Asbury Park, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Albany,
New York; Alexandria, Virginia and Washington D.C.
This brief history was
prepared by Dr. Herbert J. Stack, former Director of New
York University’s Safety Center and presented in a
booklet form held at the Nineteenth Annual Convention held
in Toronto, Canada. The photographs were "borrowed"
from the enormous scrapbook which Mrs. Ester Stephenson
developed for International.
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