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2-12-2

UNIFORMS

GENERAL

1. All members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade are entitled, and expected, to wear the approved uniform for the Brigade Unit to which they are attached. While this uniform will differ depending upon the community service provided (e.g. youth member, patient care, ski patrol, Therapy Dog, campus first response, etc.), commonality is achieved through the appropriate use of badges, insignia, and the St. John Ambulance logo.

2. Internationally, nationally, provincially, and within local communities, the Brigade uniform publicly identifies each member, and group of members, as individuals who are trained to recognize and respond to specific community needs. Thus, the uniform provides the public with a sense of reassurance and allows trust to be placed upon those who wear it.

3. The uniform also readily identifies, both to the public and to those within the organization, members in positions of authority and members who hold specific training or professional qualifications.

4. For the individual Brigade member, the uniform provides a sense of identity, common purpose, belonging, and accomplishment while helping to build a sense of team spirit and camaraderie within the Brigade Unit.

5. This Instruction is to be interpreted as a companion document to Brigade Dress Regulations.

ENTITLEMENT

6. The following individuals are entitled to wear the uniform of the St. John Ambulance Brigade:

a. members who are qualified to perform Brigade duties (see StJCI 2-3-1);

b. members who have been appointed as Brigade Presidents (see StJCI 2-3-1, paragraph 17);

c. members who are on the Retired List (see StJCI 2-3-1, paragraph 18);

d. members who are on the Supplementary List; and

10. Purchasing, issuing, maintaining and storing of uniforms is a costly process. The development of appropriate policies, as outlined above, and the appointment of a stores keeper to maintain uniform inventories, will assist in keeping these costs under control in a responsible manner.

11. The sourcing of funds necessary for the acquisition / maintenance / storage of uniforms should not be at the expense of the community services provided by the Brigade Unit. Rather, this is the responsibility of the local Branch or appropriate Corps, Area, Provincial or National Brigade Headquarters (see StJCI 2-2-2, paragraph 10). In all situations, the necessary funds must be applied for within approved budgetary and financial policies.

INSIGNIA

12. The St. John Ambulance logo in Canada is the legal trademark of the Priory of Canada. For protection of this identity, copyright and usage policies must be complied with. For details, refer to the Corporate Graphic Standards Manual, which is available through each Provincial/Territorial Council.

 

13. Brigade Dress Regulations outline the specific insignia for:

a. members in positions of authority (Officers and NCOs) (see StJCI 2-2-2, Annex A),

b. the professional qualifications of individual members,

c. the organizational qualifications of individual members (see StJCI 2-4-5, paragraph 8),

d. Youth program achievements (see StJCI 2-6-1),

e. service awards (see StJCI 2-6-1),

f. awards of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (see StJCI 1-4-1, 1-4-2, 1-4-3, and 2-6-1), and

g. other permissible awards.

ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS

14. The insignia of Orders, Decorations and Medals may be worn on those occasions when it is deemed appropriate and with the approval of the Officer-in-Charge of the Brigade Unit.

15. Only those insignia authorized under The Canadian Order of Precedence of Orders, Decorations and Medals may be worn on the Brigade uniform.

RANK

16. The St. John Ambulance Brigade has a structure that is based on the modern functions performed by its members at various levels. Some remnants of the formerly military structure have been retained where they have been found to be useful and because they reflect the paramilitary origin and traditions of the organization.

17. Brigade members do not hold rank in the military manner (an exception is the use of military titles used for NCOs). Members who have been appointed as Officers are given a functional title within the structure of the Brigade. For identification purposes, Officers are authorized to wear insignia on their uniforms similar to military rank markings. These insignia identify both their appointment and the relative level of their appointment, within the organization.

18. Designation of ranks, as used traditionally within the Brigade, remains an entitlement for all Officers (see StJCI 2-2-2, Annex A)

 

19. At the discretion of the Provincial/Territorial Commissioner, other means of identifying the Officer(s)-in-Charge of a Brigade Unit may be added or substituted; provided that consistency is maintained on a Provincial/Territorial basis. In particular, this section is intended to permit such identification of those members who do not wear a uniform which has shoulder epaulets, etc. (e.g. Therapy Dog, campus first response, etc.). In such circumstances, identification may be in the form of a name badge, etc. worn immediately above the right breast pocket.

20. A complete description of the manner and location of how the above insignia, rank, decorations and medals are to be worn on the uniform can be found in Brigade Dress Regulations.

DRESS UNIFORM (Adult)

21. The dress uniform for members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade is the same, regardless of the type of community service(s) provided. All Brigade members are entitled to wear the Dress Uniform on appropriate occasions as outlined in paragraph 23. Both the Adult and Youth dress uniforms are of a design / pattern approved by National Headquarters and are described in Brigade Dress Regulations.

22. The Dress Uniform is recommended as the uniform of choice for all Officers in senior administrative positions (i.e. Corps Superintendent rank and above).

DRESS UNIFORM - OCCASIONS FOR WEAR

23. Occasions for wearing the dress uniform, for all Adult and Youth members, include:

a. formal ceremonies or parades,

b. state ceremonies,

c. in attendance on, or as escort to, Royal and Vice-Regal personages,

d. religious services or Church parades,

e. Brigade funerals,

f. Brigade weddings,

g. Brigade awards ceremonies or inspections,

h. investitures (Order of St. John or other recognized and approved Orders),

i. Remembrance Day services or ceremonies

j. Levees,

k. as a Brigade representative at a military or formal civilian function,

l. other occasions as directed.

 

WORK UNIFORM

24. The work uniform is the Brigade uniform worn by Brigade members (Adult and Youth) in the day-to-day provision of community services.

25. Provincial/Territorial Commissioners are responsible for clearly defining the policies which outline the design and occasions for wear of the work uniform within their respective jurisdiction. That is, commonality of design and wear is to be maintained on a Provincial/Territorial basis.

26. Specific work uniforms may be developed for each category of community service or, likewise, for specific needs within each category of community service.

27. When designing work uniform policies, considerations must include:

a. appropriateness weighed against the dignity of the individual member and public perception of the organization;

b. appropriateness for wear on ceremonial or formal occasions when the member does not have a dress uniform;

c. appropriateness of approved insignia as outlined above; and

d. the creation and approval of appropriate insignia to identify the member’s position, training, professional qualifications and achievements.

28. With reference to item 27.b. above, if the member does not have a Brigade dress uniform, their work uniform may be worn on formal or ceremonial St. John Ambulance occasions. The appropriateness of this uniform on formal or ceremonial occasions outside of the organization is left to the discretion of the Provincial/ Territorial Commissioner. In both of these situations, however, the member involved must be advised that their uniform is to be correct in every detail and manner.

COMPETITION UNIFORM

29. Patient care and other competitions are an integral component of the Brigade training program. Concerns around the appropriate uniform to wear include:

a. possibility of damage to the member’s dress or work uniform while competing in real-life competition scenarios, and

b. commonality of appearance when a competition team is composed of members from different Brigade units.

 

30. Provincial/Territorial Commissioners may authorize the design and wearing of a competition-specific uniform provided that:

a. the uniform is worn only for Brigade competitions;

b. the appropriateness of the uniform is weighed against the dignity of the individual member and the public’s perception of the organization; and

c. all members of the competition team are dressed alike and identifiable as a team.

31. This section does not prohibit a team from competing while wearing their work uniform. The wearing of the dress uniform while competing is however, highly discouraged.