#streetmedic

[limnrix]

Self Portrait as Street Medic (34), oil on canvas, 18x24in Support NYC Action Medical to keep us equipped and running trainings! paypal.me/NYCActionMedical42 #selfportrait #womanartist #streetmedic https://www.instagram.com/p/B3DzVELlfYz/?igshid=1h8qgtd65vxkt

[incomplete-street-medic]

What’s in the bag, Part 1.

I think street medics can readily fall into a situation where it’s impossible to be completely happy with your kit. Somewhere between the hope of having everything all the time and not having too much, a street medic may run through a dozen bags and never feel like they’ve accomplished what they want.

Truth be told, part of the cool stuff and part of the uncool stuff is figuring out...you know...your stuff. After my 20-hour and trial-and-error, I’ve come to the setup I have now, which I’m gonna share now.

First, my helmet:

I will say honestly that I never ran with a helmet, and I still haven’t. But after the 20-hour and watching a series of videos where protesters were hit in the head by projectiles, I decided it might be wise to be as is as simple Bern bicycle helmet and a pair of impact resistant goggles from my local hardware store. The goggles are more or less for chemical weapons, but can also stop a full impact hit from a projectile, which is nice.

You probably noticed in the first picture that I have a modular set up (read: a fanny pack and a backpack). I wasn’t really sold on the fanny pack. Point in fact, I think the last time I wore one was in 2nd grade. But a fellow medic rolls with one and extolled the virtue of ‘em, and to be honest I was sold during my very first action. A fanny pack helps you get to stuff quick, opens up extra water bottle storage, and make you look so, so cool.

In my fanny pack (starting in the left, top column of stuff):

- Electrolyte mix, candies for diabetics, chewable antacid (for me, because medic tummies).

- All purpose bandana.

- Sudecon (designed to help with pepper spray. It’s expensive, and basically baby shampoo with sugar, but it was provided to me and I’ll gladly use it. In reality, a paper towel can accomplish the same goal).

- N95 rated face mask with drop masks underneath. Both of these for aiding in chemical weapon attacks. I don’t carry apple cider vinegar alongside because there is no proof I’ve come across that indicates apple cider vinegar does anything worthwhile.

- Emergency poncho.

- Blister kit and moleskin. For feets!

- About 15 pairs of gloves. The trick here is to have about twice as many as you think you need. I carry extra gloves in a secondary supplies pack that we’ll see pop up later.

- The ubiquitous red duct tape of our trade.

- 12 hour sanitary pads, 4 hour sanitary pads, and tampons. An important note here: if you’re choosing between which of these to bring, aim for the 12 hour sanitary pads. If folks use tampons, there’s a chance they’ll be arrested and won’t get a chance to change them out. This can lead to toxic shock. All of these can also be used for bandages, too.

- Not pictured: two bottles of water. One I’d typically have for myself to drink, the other would be a quick-pull for eye irrigation. The simple way to make any water bottle into a eyewash bottle is to poke a ballpoint pen through the cap from the inside out. Boom: An accurate and effective eyewash bottle.

When it’s all together, it looks like this:

(That tape would probably be in my main bag, tbh).

Next, my backpack, starting with the front, zippered section:

Starting from the upper left, then going down each “column”:

- Hand warmers. These are left over from a past action - in cold weather, we’ll carry dozens and dozens of these. Super helpful, quick to hand out, and effective. We’ll also use toe warmers, too. You know. For feets.

- Hand sanitizer.

- Popsicle sticks for sprained/broken fingers.

- Flashlight. Because sometimes it’s dark.

- An Oximeter. I got a pair of these on the cheap, and learned how to use it. Useful if you have someone who is having an asthma attack or other breathing issue. Again, don’t use what you don’t know how to use.

- A tick-puller (we live country out here).

- Notepad, pen and marker. The notepad and pen are to help record important info (which will travel with the patient, not with you), and general stuff. The marker is for writing on your body (numbers, etc).

- Lavender essential oil. I have little to no experience with the herbal side of street medicine, so I don’t dive too deep. However, I do know that lavender is a great way to spread calm, so I have it in my kit.

- Charge stick and charge cord for my phone. It’s infuriating to be at an action and realize you’ve only got 10% power on your phone. Doubly frustrating if you’re a street medic.

- Snacks and protein bars I’ve picked up over the last few actions. For anyone who needs ‘em.

When packed, it all looks like this:

Above this section of my bag is a little, lined section. I think it’s supposed to be for electronics but I use if for this:

You know the drill by now:

- Small gauze pads, cloth tape.

- 3x3 gauze pads.

- 2x2 nonstick pads

- Various adhesive bandages

- (not pictured: tweezers, bactracin)

When I first started, I packed a million adhesive bandages and gauzes. I thought of myself being a combat medic or something, which (typically) isn’t the case. I now realize the best kit is one where you can identify what you need, and have it on hand.

In part 2, the contents of the main bag.

[incomplete-street-medic]

Welcome to the incomplete street medic!

Hey there.

This is going to be a place that serves a few different purposes. One, a place for me as a street medic to document (in a very unuseful-to-cops sort of way) my experiences marking up and running as a street medic. It’s also going to be a space to share lessons I’ve learned both during that time and in general around the practice of street medicine. I also believe this will become a place for folks who are either directly interested in becoming street medics (or already street medics and simply want to read something more than a post from 5 years ago) to gather up some helpful tips and build that ever-lovely sense of community.

As for who I am: I became interested in becoming a street medic a year or so ago. Because there weren’t any medics around (read: because I hadn’t yet met the street medics who were already here), I began acting as a street medic for the growing street protests after the 45’s inauguration.

From there, I became more involved, met up with established street medics in my community, and (last October) completed my street medic 20 hour training.

In short, I’m new to the experience, and excited to share my experiences here to make my own collective stronger. Maybe even make other street medics and collectives stronger, too. Who knows.

What I won’t do: I’m not going to name names without explicit permission (and maybe I won’t even if I do have permission). I’m not going to discuss plans or tactics in detail (medics really shouldn’t know specifics, anyway), and I’m not going to betray the trust that the street medic community has shown me even in my short time alongside it. Basically, I want to see if this is useful to anyone other than me, and if it is, I will react accordingly.

What I will do: share tips, things I’m learning, and mistakes I’ve made that you can hopefully avoid.

So welcome to my incomplete guide.

[appalachiandyke]

Hi Y’all! I’m going out of town for a large palestine protest as a street medic, and to the IWW convention as a delegate.

I have to take time off work and I don’t have any paid vacation days at this job since they’ve incorrectly labeled me as part time.

So going to these events is going to be a monetary burden.

So I’d likely to humbly ask for some donations so I can pay my rent and have food on the table. My cash app is here https://cash.app/$Streetmedicdyke

Pay $Streetmedicdyke on Cash App

Instantly exchange money for free on Cash App

[malenferstreet]

Street Médic, Toulouse, 16h37, 01/02/20

[smugtownmushrooms]

Hey folks were asking our community to step up and join our team of medics and care providers! more details can be found here: https://www.newmoonmycologysummit.org/help.html or email us directly to join us! [email protected] #newmoonmycologysummit #mycology #fungi #streetmedic #medic #firstaid #careproviders #emt #herbalmedic #supportnetwork #myceliumunderground #mycelialnetwork #themyceliumunderground #permaculture #mycorrhizae #earth https://www.instagram.com/p/ByyGqLygzsH/?igshid=a3rwo7mq58kc

[dinolisme-blog]

#DinoKata STREET MEDIC FOR HOMELESS 4 Salam rakan rakan MyFAST sekalian, Kami menjemput semua rakan rakan yang berlatar belakangkan perubatan untuk sama sama memberikan bantuan pemeriksaan kesihatan kepada golongan Gelandangan. Butiran program adalah seperti berikut. Tarikh : 16 Feb 2017 (Khamis) Masa : 8.30 pagi hingga 11 pagi Tempat : Tepi Sungai Klang,KL (Berhadapan air pancut kampung Attap) Mari sama sama kita membantu golongan yang dipandang sepi ini. #MyFAST #MyFASTCare #WideMedic #UNGGASKL #StreetMedic #Homeless #Volunteer #Sukarelawan

[tabitha-chase]

The real health and safety: for folks who are new to social justice actions

I keep seeing this list, it starts with “For folks who are new to social justice actions:” and then goes on to give advice about various things having to do with safety at a protest. I’m not going to go into the things it says about security culture, but since it’s both inaccurate and missing important info, here is a better list of basic health and wellness in action info. Please share anywhere you see the referenced list.  

THE FIRST RULE OF BEING AT A PROTEST IS: DO NOT WEAR CONTACT LENSES IN ANY SITUATION WHERE THERE MAYBE GAS.

But I’m wearing a gas mask…

THE SECOND RULE OF BEING AT A PROTEST IS: DO NOT WEAR CONTACT LENSES IN ANY SITUATION WHERE THERE MAYBE GAS.

But I’m wearing goggles… Why?  

Well, if your eyes are exposed to gas even for a moment with those contacts in a few things are going to happen (and they all suck):

No one is going to be able to rinse your eyes until you get them out of there

They may fuse to your cornea

They may take a good bit of your cornea off with them while you try to get them out

They will trap whatever you were exposed to on your eye until you get them out

You are going to have to throw them away once you get them out anyway

Your friendly neighborhood street medic (if you’re lucky enough to have one), practices do no harm medicine, this means that they cannot try to remove your contacts for you if you’ve been exposed, because there is no way to do this without a high probability that they will permanently injure you.  

Tear gas & pepper spray in all of it’s forms is acidic.

Tear gas & pepper spray can cause chemical burns and is difficult to get off of your skin. Do not try to use anything acidic to fight it as you will only increase the likelihood of a chemical burn.

Here are some basics of how to treat Tear gas & pepper spray:

Clean water is good for flushing tear gas & pepper spray out of eyes. Water does not make pepper spray worse. Water does not make tear gas worse*.  I personally like to add a dash of sea salt to distilled water for eye washing to make the experience “more pleasant & saline like” but clean fresh water works just as well.

If you would like to make a mixture of 1:1 Liquid Antacid and Water to place in a squeeze bottle prior to going to an action for neutralizing pepper spray and teargas, make sure to read all of the ingredients on the bottle and that there is nothing potentially irritating in the ingredient list. If you’re unsure what that means, don’t try to make L.A.W.

Cow’s milk also neutralizes pepper spray and teargas. If you are going to carry cow’s milk for this purpose it needs to be free of other ingredients and needs to be fresh and kept cold (to maintain freshness) you don’t want to get additives or fun new bacteria in your irritated mucous membranes. Also remember some folks are allergic to dairy, some folks are vegan, and some folks have religious objections to dairy in general and/or to specific means of handling it, so this will not be useable on some people who may be affected by gas exposure.

You can use rubbing alcohol to remove gas and spray from skin in order to prevent or minimize chemical burns if you don’t have the means to neutralize it. DO NOT PUT RUBBING ALCOHOL ON MUCOUS MEMBRANES OR EYES.

What is contamination?

If you’ve been exposed to tear gas or pepper spray you are contaminated.

Your clothes are contaminated.

Your shoes are contaminated.

That bag you're carrying is contaminated.

You are a mobile health and safety hazard.

If you get in a car—that car is contaminated.

If you get on a bus—that bus is contaminated.

If you get on a train—that train is contaminated.

If you go into a store, restaurant, etc. you have contaminated these places.

Contaminating places can cause huge problems for folks who are at risk (the very young, the very old, people with respiratory illness, people who are pregnant, four legged friends, etc.) DO NOT DO IT. If you go around contaminating places you are exposing people to chemical ordinance most likely without their knowledge—not only that you continue exposing them after you leave. Those places are now contaminated, and they don’t even know it and so don’t know they need to decontaminate. If you do this I will hack your facebook & twitter and make a live public feed to them from your p0rn stash, and petition Netflix and amazon to remove your favorite shows and replace them with golf.   

How do you decontaminate?

Strip your clothes, shoes, etc. off outside put them in a sealed plastic bag.

Write “CONTAMINATED” on the bag with a sharpie and throw it in the trash outside.

Without touching anything from outside to the shower (e.g. have plastic bags tied around your feet and having someone else open and close all the doors for you).

Take a shower as cold as you can stand to for at least 20 minutes preferably longer.**

In that shower wash repeatedly with castile soap from the top of your head to the bottoms of your feet at least 3 times.

DO NOT USE A SCRUB BRUSH—I know in the movies you see folks DeCon with huge coarse scrub brushes—those will leave teeny scratches all over you, they will increase the damage the gas has already done to you and they will make you likely to give yourself brand new chemical burns. I suggest a washcloth or a rag that you do not care about so you can just pitch that afterwards too.

Come with friends and don’t get separated.

Check in with each other constantly.

Big groups are good, but really you only absolutely need a second person.

Use the buddy system: the buddy system saves lives.

If at all possible chose a buddy you know well who has similar feelings about risk taking.

Congrats you have a buddy! You and one of your friends are now inseparable, you are one person, consider it the sacred cosmic mystery of the buddy system.

Stay in physical contact with your buddy at all times.

Discuss prior to and during any needs you and your buddy have.

If you are disabled and/or chronically ill make sure your buddy is aware of your needs in as much as they need to be to advocate for and/or directly assist you if necessary.

If your buddy wants/needs to leave you need to leave with them and vice versa.  

Stay Grounded.

Look carefully around you and noticing only things that are physically there without judging them say the names of the things you see either to yourself silently or out loud.

Help your buddy stay grounded too.

Do scene assessments.

This is really good to practice when not at an action, for a dry run try say a shopping mall or a crowded day at a park.

Is there a threat from outside the crowd?

If so what is the actual nature of the threat from outside of the crowd?

Do you need to be in this crowd or can you move to the edges of it if you need to?

If you need to get out of this crowd where can you safely go?

Do you see anything other than the main threat that could be dangerous if the crowd starts moving?

Do you see anything that could be helpful to you or to other members of this crowd?

Do you see any members of this crowd who are at greater risk if what the crowd fear will happen happens—than the rest of the crowd will be?

What can you do to help this member or members right now?

If the sh*t goes down.

If you are able hold your buddies hand at the wrist.

Ground yourself.

Start acting on your scene assessment.

Start shouting “WALK” take a deep breath in and then “WALK” again. (for more info see https://www.facebook.com/notes/845797052097166/ )  

What to wear if there might be gas/spray?

Cover as much of your body as you can with clothing that you do not care about (yes including the shoes)—you’re almost certainly going to put it in a sealed plastic bag and throw it away anyway, because decontaminating clothes is a nasty business. But the more you’re wearing the more of your skin will be protected. This also will help protect from minor scrapes and sunburn.

An acceptable gas mask (for more info see https://www.facebook.com/notes/846014765408728/ )

What to bring?

Water and snacks, bring more than enough and share.

Any prescription medication you require in the container that has the prescription on it in a sealed plastic bag.

Comfortable layers of clothing.

Comfortable shoes.

Oil free sunscreen, bring more than enough and share.

If you are disabled and/or chronically ill a letter from your doctor on your needs in a sealed plastic bag, just in case you are arrested and/or injured.

Phone numbers for emergency contacts and attorneys written on your person in an area that will be covered by your clothing with a sharpie.

A BUDDY!

Bringing a mobile device?

Make sure it is password protected and locked.

Make sure it is in a sealed plastic bag (yes even if you have a case, you don’t want to have to throw away your phone do you?)

If you are planning on going to jail and/or if it now seems inevitable hide your mobile device on your body in a place unlikely to be immediately frisked. They will eventually find it and confiscate it, but you may be able to get some reports for yourself and cell mates out first.

Make sure it’s fully charged.

What not to bring?

Literally anything you still want/need to have tomorrow.

Illegal substances.  

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* Unless the exposure is to CX gas (instead of OC, CN, or even PC). I have yet to find a single confirmed reference to the use of CX gas in the U.S. for crowd control purposes.   

** But Tabby why a cold shower don’t you want me to relax after all this? don't you think I've earned it? Because warm water opens your pores—and that won’t relax you in this case but it will give you the opportunity to give yourself a second chemical burn, this time with your genitals fully in the mix. I know it sucks. I once had to walk 4 miles in the snow after being soaked in tear gas all day (and having already walked at least 4 miles before hand), only to strip naked in the snow and hop in a freezing cold shower—that is neither a joke nor an exaggeration.   

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More info on the magic that is shouting WALK:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/845797052097166/  

More info on gas masks and gas:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/846014765408728/

https://www.facebook.com/notes/tabitha-fringe-chase/do-not-ever-pick-up-a-tear-gas-cannister/845794735430731    

you know those “could save a life” memes? This grizzled snarky street medic PSA is one of those, please share this with everyone. ~ TABBY