St John WA future-proofs community first aid skills with training for all students at Meadow Springs Primary School

• St John WA has delivered its First Aid Focus program to an entire school for the first time since the program’s inception,
• All 580 students from Meadow Springs Primary School, aged kindergarten through to year six, are set to be trained through St John WA’s free in-school program,
• About one Western Australian child per month calls Triple Zero (000), meaning the training milestone is a step in the right direction towards achieving St John WA’s goal to train every child in Western Australia, every year, by 2025.

St John WA has reached a new milestone with its free in-school First Aid Focus program, having delivered the training to every student at Meadow Springs Primary School for the first time since the program’s inception.

The occasion marks the first time St John WA has delivered First Aid Focus training to an entire school. The program saw tailored age-appropriate first aid training delivered to 580 students aged kindergarten through to year six at Meadow Springs Primary School.

St John WA’s First Aid Focus program has been developed to train and educate children with the skills to assess and respond respectively in the event of health emergency. About one Western Australian child per month calls Triple Zero (000) for their parent or carer who has fallen ill, meaning a child who has had training through St John can be the difference between life and death in the event of a health emergency.

To further their emergency response education, students at Meadow Springs received an ambulance tour and in-class demonstrations on the vital DRSABC first aid procedure – Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing and Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). They are also set to receive a whole school presentation on snake bites and anaphylaxis delivered by St John WA’s dedicated Community Education Officers in mid-October.

Meadow Springs Primary School Deputy Principal Roger Lewis said securing the delivery of St John WA’s First Aid Focus program for the whole school played a vital role in educating students on important life skills.

“First aid is a vital life skill that we are privileged to receive training on. We are beyond thankful to St John WA for providing its free in-school First Aid Focus training program to all our students at Meadow Springs Primary School. Through this training our students are now equipped to navigate first aid events with the right skills,” Mr Lewis said.  

St John WA trains more than 50,000 young Western Australians each year and has a goal of training every eligible school-age child in Western Australia, every year, by 2025.

St John WA Chief Executive Michelle Fyfe said she was delighted to see growing interest from Western Australian schools in the First Aid Focus program.

“St John WA’s First Aid Focus program has proved vital in equipping our youth with first aid skills they need to navigate a healthcare emergency. Since the program’s inception, we have proudly trained more than 1 million children in Western Australia,” she said.

“We are delighted to now have each and every child at Meadow Springs Primary School equipped with the skills they need to support a first aid emergency. By delivering our First Aid Focus program to students of all ages, we can continue to build and future-proof healthcare resilience across our local communities.”

Western Australian schools can register their interest to book St John WA’s free in-school First Aid Focus training program via https://stjohnwa.com.au/youthengagement/first-aid-focus-program.

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