School excursions allow students to leave school grounds as a group, which requires additional preparation in case of an emergency. So, what do you do if there is an emergency on a school excursion?

🟠  Conduct a risk assessment before the excursion to identify risks and implement appropriate controls. This should include identifying the emergency procedures that any host event providers have established.

🟠 Always be prepared with off-site emergency procedures including the role of the excursion/activity leader and the school Emergency and Incident Management Teams

🟠 Ensure the excursion is adequately staffed, with roles and responsibilities clearly defined before leaving school grounds

🟠 Always have an emergency management kit available during an excursion

🟠 Ensure safety first. If there’s an immediate threat, such as a fire, personal threat,or other dangerous situation, move staff and students to a safe location and account for all persons

🟠 Contact emergency services as soon as possible

🟠 If there is a medical emergency, provide first aid and stay with the casualty if it is safe until emergency services arrive

🟠 Allocate a staff member to contact the school, notifying them of the situation so they can implement the critical incident management protocols, including contacting parents/guardians

🟠  If the excursion is in a venue with its own emergency response procedures, follow the instructions provided by their Chief Warden

🟠 For an evacuation, remain in the designated emergency assembly area and await further instructions from the Chief Warden

🟠 When it is safe to leave the location, ensure all students are accounted for before leaving and again upon arrival back at school

🟠 Implement a post-incident review to highlight what worked well and areas for improvement

🟠  Implement regular first aid training, warden training and drills to ensure all persons know the procedures and their roles during an excursion