Valletta, Malta 13th December 2021

On 13th December, Malta’s Republic Day, the St John Rescue Corps was appointed as a member of the National Order of Merit.

St John Rescue Corps was founded in 1986 as a branch of St John Malta to provide an organised corps of adult volunteers who are fully trained in rescue and first aid with the aim of supporting the civil protection activities in Malta. Today, it operates in Fire Rescue, High Angle Rope Rescue, Water Rescue, Medical Support Services and Humanitarian Aid. Complementing the broad skillset of its volunteers, St John Rescue Corps has also built a substantial cache of rescue equipment that is always ready for deployment if requested by the authorities. This includes fire trucks, rescue boats, a mobile incident command unit and lots of other specialised technical rescue equipment. St John Rescue Corps volunteers regularly provide community services such as on-site fire prevention and first aid assistance at major events. The organisation is also actively involved in training and educating the public in matters of fire and safety.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, St John Rescue Corps was at the forefront with the provision of logistical services, which enabled essential services provided by local food banks to continue uninterrupted. In 2020, more than 1,400 hours of service by volunteers were carried out on logistic services alone.

During the investiture ceremony at the Palace in Valletta, Commissioner and Corps Commander Andrew Grech and Deputy Commissioner Christopher Borg Cardona received the honours for the Rescue Corps awarded by the President of Malta, Dr George Vella.

St John Rescue Corps was the only organisation appointed to the National Order of Merit, together with 14 individuals.