Start a School First-Aid Service: 8-Step Checklist
A school first-aid service does not appear overnight — but it also does not take a year of organising. If you know the order of operations, you can go from the first conversation to the first incident within one school semester. This checklist shows the eight steps that work at most schools.
1 Get school leadership on board
Everything starts with a conversation: school leadership and, where applicable, the school authority must carry the service — organisationally and financially. Prepare a short outline: what the service does, who supervises it, what it costs (training, equipment, possibly software). The more concrete the numbers, the easier the approval.
2 Find a supervising teacher
A school first-aid service needs a fixed contact person on the staff — someone who coordinates the service, is reachable during incidents and mentors the team. This role often decides whether the service is still running after a year. Clarify in advance: is the role credited (teaching load, club hour)?
3 Organise training
The responders need basic first-aid training — typically through the Johanniter, German Red Cross or Malteser organisations (roughly 1–2 weekends for the first-aid qualification, often with a school-first-aid module). Check whether the organisation will also support the service with equipment or know-how afterwards. Many schools cooperate long-term with a local organisation.
4 Build the team
The right team size depends on the school: a rule of thumb is at least two responders per shift, so one can stay with the patient while the other gets help. Plan for absences through illness, exams and class trips — a team of 15–25 responders usually covers a school day well.
5 Get the equipment
The first-aid room or cabinet needs: bandaging material, disinfectant, cold compresses, disposable gloves, a way to document (paper block — or an app) and a clearly visible alerting path. Exact requirements depend on the region and school authority; your supporting aid organisation can provide a material list.
6 Set up the roster & procedures
Before the first incident arrives, the procedures must be in place: when is duty (breaks, sports days, class trips)? How is the alert raised? Who documents the incident? Who is the first point of contact for serious cases? An app like SchulSaniApp handles exactly this part: roster, push alerts, digital incident log and absences in one place.
7 Clarify insurance & formalities
Student responders are usually covered by accident insurance through the school (statutory accident insurance) if the service counts as a school activity. Clarify with leadership and the school authority: is the service officially established? Who is liable during an incident? And what about supervision duties? These questions belong before the first incident — not after.
8 Start — and document the first incident
After training, equipment and procedures, the service can start. What matters from day one: document every incident. The log protects the team, makes the service visible to school leadership and is the basis when you later ask for more resources. Digitally this takes under a minute on the phone — with PDF export for the school file.
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