St John Ambulance is a trade name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries, counties, states or provinces dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance and community volunteer services, all of which derive their origins from the St John Ambulance Association founded in 1877 in the United Kingdom. The active uniformed first-aiders known as the St John Ambulance Brigade or Community Services were introduced in 1887. There are now more than 500,000 such volunteers worldwide. The brand name and logo are owned by the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem with the international office located in London, England. Logos may vary in each country but always contain the eight-pointed Maltese Cross as the essential identifier.