Xavier Carré: helping and protecting others at the Olympics with the Red Cross

Throughout this Olympic summer season, the newsletter team is pleased to present some of the Institut Pasteur staff who are playing a special role in this global event – whether in their capacity as an Institut Pasteur staff member, a volunteer or a sports person. We hope that these profiles will showcase the fantastic diversity of the Institut Pasteur community. This week, the newsletter team would like to present Xavier Carré, who will be supporting the Olympics as a first aid volunteer for the Red Cross.

 

 

First aid responder for the 2024 Olympics – the culmination of a long career as a volunteer

In July, Xavier, like thousands of accredited first aid volunteers, will be assigned to a team each day for the Olympics and will be working tirelessly to support this huge sporting event. Xavier will be an emergency coordinator for the duration of the Olympics, working to guarantee the safety of the emergency team and the well-being of any victim(s) and providing guidance on procedures and first aid.

Xavier is used to handling unusual situations that require a cool head, professional attitude and empathy, and he knows that the Olympics will not be an easy ride. "When you are on call at the weekend, sometimes you find yourself doing CPR and helping someone give birth on the same day!" These moments that are hard to put into words and can be tough physically, emotionally and socially are part of the daily lives of first aid volunteers, and with 24 years of experience under his belt Xavier is ready and well prepared for the task that lies ahead with the Olympics.

Being a first aid responder is also very rewarding – it means traveling the length and breadth of France to support different events, some small and some on a larger scale. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, relighting the flame of the unknown soldier, the 100th anniversary of Citroën, concerts and sports events at the Stade de France, and countless unexpected incidents – fires, floods and other events: "if there was one event that was missing from my collection, it was the Olympics!" jokes Xavier. It is not just the unique, prestigious nature of the Olympics that makes this event so special for Xavier – it is the fact that it is rounding off his eventful career as a first aid volunteer. Already emotional at the prospect of what would (probably) be his last event, Xavier was thrilled after going through the lengthy accreditation process to find out recently that he would be able to take part!

 

Pasteurian and first aider – two hats but the same desire to help people

"After joining the Institut Pasteur by chance as a service employee" Xavier "never left this great institution." Over time he worked in the procurement/supply department and the logistics department, before moving to the receipt of biological products in June 2000. Four months later, he became a Red Cross volunteer. The two were linked – for Xavier, helping people and looking out for those in need is something that comes naturally. "I feel like I fell into charity work in the same way that Obelix fell into the magic potion when he was a little boy!" At the Red Cross, he works with the emergency services, taking people to hospital and applying his paramedic training. At the Institut Pasteur, his role is to support science, receive orders from institutes in the Pasteur Network and safely redirect products all over the world. These two major parts of his life are both linked to human health and medicine, which is a real source of pride and fulfillment for Xavier.

After starting as a first aid responder in September 2000, he became head of a street team in 2001, responsible for 300 volunteers on the streets in Val-de-Marne, before becoming an emergency coordinator in 2007 and a first aid trainer. He has completed many complex training courses in his free time, which have given him the same skills as an emergency coordinator in the fire department and equipped him to manage a mid-sized first aid station at an event. "The training system may seem demanding, but we are dealing with human lives. The teams are increasingly trained as paramedics – we are volunteers but we have to be professionals."

Combining his Red Cross volunteering with his work at the Institut Pasteur requires organization and time. Over and above his working hours, his volunteering often takes up his evenings, weekends and days off. "It takes up a lot of time, but I love it. It's something that is a part of me, I am deeply committed to it."

Helping others, showing compassion to combat individualism – this is the path that Xavier has chosen to follow, and he is excited and enthusiastic at the prospect of mingling with spectators and athletes at the Olympics!

A first aid advocate

We can all save lives! Free training sessions are held regularly to teach people how to apply basic first aid. You can contact organizations like the French Red Cross, French Civil Protection or the Order of Malta. Learning basic first aid is simple, so why not give it a try?