Volunteering at St John

Volunteers are the lifeblood of St John Ambulance NSW. Join us as a St John Ambulance NSW first aid volunteer or other support role and help us build a safer community. And you know the work you do counts - 1 in 3 St John volunteers have administered CPR outside of their role with St John.

Volunteering at St John

Volunteers are the lifeblood of St John Ambulance NSW. Join us as a St John Ambulance NSW first aid volunteer or other support role and help us build a safer community. And you know the work you do counts - 1 in 3 St John volunteers have administered CPR outside of their role with St John.

Volunteer at events

Get involved and support the community in a fun environment. Events provide great opportunities for volunteers of all ages to learn and apply skills – from basic first aid to advanced medical support. Opportunities include event responder, healthcare professional, or event support volunteers.

Event Volunteers

Help us serve the community while developing lifelong first aid skills and building new friendships with other volunteers. Opportunities include event responder, healthcare professional, or event support volunteers.

Youth & Cadets

Not 18 years old yet? Not a problem. We welcome all ages. Our Youth and Cadets program provides the opportunity to develop your skills, serve your community through first aid (even earning badges and awards), in a fun, safe and supportive environment.

Volunteer trainers

We invest in our people. Become a trainer and join our fantastic team, empowering adults and young people to feel confident responding to an emergency with first aid.

First Aid Trainer

Use your life-saving expertise and experience to deliver first aid training, helping participants develop the right skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully treat common injuries and possibly save a life. You’ll also have opportunities to attend events and engage with the public through free first aid demonstrations.

Mental Health Trainer

Empower others to help those who need it through delivering mental health first aid training. You'll give people the skills to recognise and respond to signs of someone who may be at risk of a mental health crisis, how to minimise safety concerns, and to know where to go for assistance.

First Aid Force

Be part of the future of first aid as the driving force behind our mobile community education program, providing 11–16-year-olds with an introduction to first aid. The focus is on practical, scenario-based learning with first aid being promoted as a life-saving skill. The First Aid Force visits a number of community and expo events throughout the year, building resilient communities in the process.

First Aid in Schools trainer

Make a difference in children’s lives. Inspire and engage with primary school students as you teach them about first aid and what to do in an emergency. Training is face-to-face and online, and is delivered at school during school hours. Since its inception in 2013, we have successfully engaged more than 72,000 primary school students across NSW.

Support and admin
volunteers

Don’t have first aid skills? You can still help. From communications, logistics and event planning to writing grant applications, photographing events or providing administrative support, there’s always something interesting on the go that will benefit from your involvement. Use your unique skills and experience to help our volunteers and staff deliver life-saving products and services in the community.

Emergency deployment professionals

Rise to the challenge and take action in a crisis. Our volunteers are readily mobilised to respond in times of disaster. Work alongside emergency services during events such as bushfires, floods, or extreme weather conditions. As a participating organisation in the NSW Health Plan (NSW Health’s Disaster Management Plan), we are called upon to help NSW Health and other emergency service agencies during events such COVID-19, bushfires and other extreme weather conditions.

Recently, St John Ambulance NSW members provided more than 300,000 hours of frontline support during COVID-19.

Flexible volunteering options

While most of our volunteers meet regularly at physical locations with their division to learn and train, we also offer a flexible volunteering option. Rather than attending physical meetings, you can join through our Virtual Hub, then choose to attend events in your area when you’d like to.

How to become a volunteer

1. Apply online.


2. Get your Working with Children Check (WWCC) and Criminal Record Check (CRC) (we’ll help).


3. We’ll do a one-hour interview with you and check your personal references.


4. We’ll help you get in touch with the best division for you based on your schedule and location, and you’ll go to your first division meet. Alternatively, you can choose flexible volunteering, allowing you to meet and learn skills through our Virtual Hub.


5. Complete your members induction, which is a one-day course at Burwood, or online, to learn what’s required of you from the St John organisation.


6. Complete your first aid certificate (you’ll need to do this before you start going to events to treat people).


"My favourite thing about volunteering with St John is getting to engage with so many great people from all different backgrounds. it has opened my eyes completely to how many local legends are out there lending a hand."

Lucy, St John Ambulance NSW Volunteer

"I love helping others and gaining new experiences. The satisfaction of giving back to the community is one only a volunteer can truly understand. If you have the capacity to make a difference, it's up to you to follow through with it."

Marvin, St John Ambulance NSW Volunteer

Find your St John division.

Our volunteers meet with their division regularly to learn and train, and you can choose any location to be your division. Each division meets at a different time of the week, so you can choose the division that best fits your schedule.