St John WA to expand courses in 2026 to prepare remote areas and high-risk workers for emergencies

St John WA says its plans to expand its program of first aid courses will not take medical professionals away from providing ambulance services and clinical settings. The State’s ambulance provider will this year launch a suite of advanced courses in a bid to prepare those in high-risk industries and in remote WA to respond to emergencies. It hopes that preparing more people across the State to respond in emergency situations will ease demand on ambulance services, which are facing ever-increasing pressure due to ramping outside hospitals and staff shortages. The seven courses, which already run for St John WA employees, will be expanded to West Australians working in high-risk environments to prepare them for emergency incidents, in turn easing demand on already under-pressure ambulance services. The courses will mostly target those in remote areas including mine sites, nursing posts, security services, community safety and field operations. Among the programs to roll out in early 2026 is critical response and advanced oxygen resuscitation training for those who may have to act as first responders in an emergency situation. Training for IV cannulation and intraosseous access — delivering fluids, medications and blood directly into a bone marrow cavity — as well as advanced life support courses will be available for health professionals across the State. Two courses on psycho-social support and emotional intelligence will also be available online, to teach people how to mentally prepare for a medical emergency and provide help to those in a mental health crisis. St John WA chief executive Kevin Brown said medical professionals needed advanced life support training every four years but it had become difficult for people to get access to this course in time. “There’s an awful lot of new people entering the health sector, which is great, but part of their choke point has not been able to get some of this training as quick as they need it when they come to the country,” he said. “We really want to be able to provide the training that people need, to enable them to go into practice, to be first responders, or to support workplace environments, because there’s a lot more pressure on employers to make sure that they’ve got the capability and people have the confidence.” Mr Brown said the more preventative training done, the more people will be equipped to “look after themselves”. “By minimising the harm, the less need there is for them to actually use an ambulance service or have to go to hospital,” he said. “Anything we can do to prevent that is better for those that do need those services, that are more readily available for them.” He said more than 150 doctors, 300 nurses and 1200 paramedics as well as external trainers were running courses for St John WA. “This is not pulling front-line resources … we already have the training facilities and the trainers and the experienced clinicians to do this,” he said. The announcement to expand St John WA courses comes after there were 43 job cuts within the organisation in 2025, revealed by The West Australian in July. At the time, a St John WA spokeswoman said the decision reflected “current economic pressures and the need to ensure long-term sustainability”. Mr Brown reiterated the importance of sustainability within the organisation, but did not directly address questions about funding for the expanded courses. “We’ve been expanding our training facilities, we are increasing our number of trainers,” he said. “Obviously, it has to wash its face so that we’re sustainable as an organisation but the more sustainable this is, the more courses we can develop, and as … demands evolve we’re able to keep pace with that and continue to deliver the training.” Employers can enquire about the courses by getting in contact through the St John WA website or by calling 9334 1222.