Medical emergencies at school: a first aid guide for teachers

By Michael Zurzolo, Co-Founder and Director, Safe Watch Global Pty Ltd · School safety procedures reviewed by Michael Zurzolo · Updated 9 November 2026

A medical emergency can interrupt any school day: an allergic reaction, a fall from play equipment or a seizure during a lesson. Staff need a practised way to summon trained help. Everyday incidents also deserve attention alongside security threats: in a widely used school alert system across Florida, only about 1% of alerts in the 2024–25 school year were campus threats (WLRN, 2 Apr 2026). This guide covers what Australian WHS law expects, what to do in the first minutes, student medical plans, the classroom first aid kit, training and drills, and how to get a trained first aider to you fast.

Why medical emergencies belong in your school response planning

In the 2024–25 school year, more than 54,000 alerts were sent through a widely used wearable school alert system across Florida. 44% related to student behaviour and about 1% to a campus threat. 23% were drills and 13% were system tests (WLRN, 2 Apr 2026). These are US figures and don’t give a separate medical share, but they show that everyday incidents far outnumber threats.

Wihkum’s help types are customisable. A school could set up a Medical help type for situations such as an allergic reaction, a seizure or an injury. These are examples, not fixed event categories. The more often something happens, the more it pays to have a clear, practised way of getting help.

First aid at school: what Australian WHS law expects

WHS law doesn’t expect every teacher to be a paramedic. It expects the school to have the right first aiders, kits and procedures in place.

Under WHS laws, the employer must provide first aid equipment, facilities and trained first aiders. Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practice explains how to work out how many first aiders and kits are needed, based on a risk assessment of the workplace (Safe Work Australia, model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace; Safe Work Australia, First aid). In Western Australia, see the WorkSafe WA code of practice on first aid in the workplace.

First aid for students is usually set by your state education department or school sector policy, on top of WHS law. Check your department’s or sector’s first aid and medical policy for the details that apply to your school.

For school-wide planning, see our guides to emergency procedures in schools and emergency response plans for schools.

What to do in the first minutes of a medical emergency

Your first two jobs are simple: keep everyone safe, and get a trained first aider on the way.

1. Make the area safe and keep the class supervised. A buddy teacher can help (see the drills section below).
2. Call for a trained first aider straight away.
3. Call 000 if it’s life-threatening.
4. Follow the student’s medical action plan if they have one.
5. Send someone for the AED or adrenaline device if it’s needed.
6. Record what happened, including times, once the student is being cared for.

For treatment steps such as DRSABCD and CPR, follow your accredited training and the guidance from St John Ambulance or Australian Red Cross. This page doesn’t give medical instructions.

Anaphylaxis, asthma and seizures: follow the student’s plan

Students with known conditions should have an individual action plan. In an emergency, that plan, and your school’s procedures, come first.

Anaphylaxis. ASCIA’s 2026 best practice guidelines for schools recommend at least one general-use adrenaline device, stored with an ASCIA First Aid Plan for Anaphylaxis, where legislation allows. It adds to a student’s own device rather than replacing it, and it needs to be easy to reach, not locked away (ASCIA, updated guidelines for schools; full guidelines, JACI Global).

Asthma and seizures. Follow the student’s individual action plan and your school’s procedures, and make sure relief and casual staff know where plans and medication are kept.

First aid kit for teachers and classrooms

The best classroom first aid kit is the one everyone knows the location of, and someone checks every term.

Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practice suggests kit contents based on the risks in your workplace (model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace). Use that, and your school’s own kit list, rather than a generic list from the internet. A few practical habits help:

• Keep the kit somewhere every staff member, including relief staff, can find and reach quickly.
• Check contents and expiry dates regularly, and restock after use.
• Take a kit, and any student medication, on excursions and sport.

Bleeding control and CPR: training schools are adding

Some schools are adding training beyond basic first aid. In the US, on 14 Oct 2026 the Amarillo Fire Department in Texas ran Stop the Bleed training, including tourniquet use, for school administrators, counsellors and nurses. Some attendees came from districts with “just one ambulance and a volunteer fire department” (ABC 7 Amarillo, 14 Oct 2026).

Australian schools, especially regional ones where help can be further away, can talk to an accredited provider such as St John Ambulance or Australian Red Cross about CPR, AED and bleeding-control courses for staff.

Practise it: classroom medical emergency drills

From October 2026, a school district in Indiana, US, added classroom medical emergency drills. Students learn where the nearest AED is and how to activate the school’s emergency response system, and each teacher names a buddy teacher to supervise the class or call for more help. The district has 26 AEDs across its building and grounds (Carroll County Daily News, 1 Oct 2026). The same article cites US CDC guidance that CPR in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest can double or triple the chance of survival.

The lesson for Australian schools: practise the medical response, not just lockdowns and evacuations. Agree who goes for the AED, who calls 000 and who looks after the class.

Getting a trained first aider to you fast

Instead of sending a student running to the office, a teacher taps HELP and the closest trained first aider sees where to go.

• With Wihkum, a staff member presses HELP and chooses a help type, such as Medical.
• The school configures the respondents for each help type, such as nominated trained first aiders for a Medical help type.
• Push notifications go to the closest respondents set up for that help type. Voice calls go to the number set for the custom help type, falling back to the geofence’s allocated number. Emails go to the mailboxes nominated for that geofence area.
• The first alert sounds even when a phone is on silent.
• Responders show as “On the Way”, so the teacher knows help is coming.
• Every incident is recorded with the date, time, staff involved and location.

Wihkum doesn’t replace calling 000 in a life-threatening emergency. Pricing is A$3 per user per month. Wihkum is for staff and teachers, not students. It works off-site too, including excursions and camps. Geofences route alerts; they are not boundary triggers. Outside a geofence, Wihkum uses the last known geofence’s details. Read more about Wihkum’s staff alert system for schools.

Medical emergencies at school: FAQs

What should a teacher do first in a medical emergency at school?

Keep everyone safe, call a trained first aider, call 000 if it’s life-threatening, and follow the student’s medical action plan if they have one.

Do teachers have to be first aid trained in Australia?

Not every teacher, but under WHS laws the employer must have enough trained first aiders for the workplace (Safe Work Australia). Your education department or sector policy sets the details for schools.

What should be in a classroom first aid kit?

Follow Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practice, which bases kit contents on risk, and your school’s own kit list (model Code of Practice).

Why is first aid important for teachers?

Staff are often first on the scene. Acting quickly and calling trained help early matters; for cardiac arrest, the US CDC says CPR in the first few minutes can double or triple survival (quoted by Carroll County Daily News).

Should schools keep a general-use adrenaline device?

ASCIA recommends at least one general-use adrenaline device where legislation allows, in addition to students’ own devices (ASCIA).

How can teachers call for help without leaving the class?

Use a buddy-teacher arrangement, or a staff alert app such as Wihkum that alerts the closest trained first aider with your location.

Are most emergency alerts at schools medical or security threats?

In a widely used school alert system across Florida, about 1% of 2024–25 alerts were campus threats; most related to behaviour, drills and tests (WLRN). Everyday incidents far outnumber threats.

Enquire about a 30-minute demo, or call +61 433 022 863 · Share this with your principal

About the author and reviewer

Michael Zurzolo is Co-Founder and Director of Safe Watch Global Pty Ltd, the company behind Wihkum. He has worked with schools for 8 years on school safety, systems and procedures, and reviewed the school safety procedures in this guide.

Michael is not a medical professional and did not review the medical content. The first aid information in this guide is drawn from Australian first aid codes and guidelines, including Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace and ASCIA’s anaphylaxis guidelines, which are linked throughout. It doesn’t replace accredited first aid training.