OK, y’all asked for it so here are some tips we got from one of our street medic pals:
1) Well, first off, for buying supplies, always go with generics. they do the same damn thing and you get more of them for the cost. Buy tampons and pads alongside regular gauze bandages, they’re excellent for dealing w puncture wounds. carry duct tape and plastic bags. the plastic bags will help w sucking chest wounds, tape three sides to the skin to prevent the wound from sucking air in the wrong way. but you won’t encounter much of that.
2) Carry sunscreen, pref. in a spray bottle. in fact, combating fatigue and sunstroke should be a priority (this changes seasonally). I recommend looking up switchel and making a bit of that, and recommending each person take a little glug of it after they’ve come to see you for water a couple times. loss of electrolytes from sweat is no joke. switchell is just a mix of vinegar, lemon juice, honey, boiled and steeped ginger, water, and add a healthy pinch of iodized salt. Kept farmers alive so…
3) Keep your things in easy access containers. so, have bandages be in a fairly waterproof container that you can access, wound prep stuff in another, cleaners in another, etc. you don’t need to have everything in one case. Also, if you plan on doctoring, you’re sitting out any scraps for the day, tbh. Your effectiveness is reliant on not being arrested or being kept from helping people. so, depending on the situ, no face covering beyond surgical masks, making oneself visible, not clobbering fash..which believe me, it’s a pain in the ass to not be in the thick of it, but your job is to stabilize people enough that they can make it home/ to the hospital.
4) Take as many first aid classes as possible. absorb as much information from as many sources as possible. and make it clear you’re not a licensed professional so you don’t get sued for trying to help anyone (note that in some areas you provided medical assistance is protected by “good Samaritan” laws). Especially useful are wilderness first aid classes, which train you about what to do in any situation where medical aid is not immediately accessible.
5) Look into those simple water bottle gasmasks for people your stabilizing in case of residual teargas on the wind. Those sorts of makeshift gasmasks/respirators aren’t going to do a lot to protect you in the thick of it, but it makes your job easier if the person isn’t inhaling an irritant.
6) Assess the situation. if the person can be moved, get them to somewhere sheltered and away from the action. preferably, you have people with you to facilitate this, then you can have a few ppl in a row that you’re working on, having volunteers applying pressure to wounds for the requisite 15 minutes or so.
7) Having a few people to help limp folks over to a central area is super useful in theory, then you can maximize effectiveness in helping folks. Superglue is also useful for closing seriously bad wounds, but only in dire circumstances. Stuff’s a bit toxic. Only use it if the person seems like they’re gonna die. Saline wound wash is great, btw. Get it in a spray bottle. Aloe vera gel is good for minor burns so you can smack it on and bolt.
8) If you absolutely positively HAVE to put a tourniquet on, make sure that the time (with AM or PM and date) is clearly labeled in sharpie in several places so when the poor sod gets handed off to a professional they know what’s up. don’t want them to lose an arm. MAKE SURE IT’S IN MULTIPLE PLACES, AND INCLUDE AM OR PM AND MAYBE EVEN THE DATE. Also, don’t try to cauterize wounds. it never works. as tempting as it is to carry rum for numbing, don’t. it’s just an easy arrest for the pigs.
9) It’s honestly not too worth it to dispense actual medicines, but that’s mostly my opinion. the most you can get away with is aspirin and other over the counter pain meds. maybe some allergy stuff just in case. Speaking of, make sure you ask the person about any allergies a couple times as you get started, they’re likely in a bit of shock, and you need to be sure you don’t accidentally kill someone through some obscure allergy. Always use non latex, just to be safe. I know it’s a pain.
10) Seriously though, can’t emphasize enough that besides the medical stuff, bandages, bandage scissors, cleaning stuff etc. Some of the most important essentials you can bring are duct tape, pads, tampons, water and sunscreen. Wear a hat. The sun can and will kill you dead. And on electrolytes again, sports drinks should be avoided. they suck donkey dick and don’t really work. They’ll just dry you out. switchel or similar stuff if you can make it. recipes pretty loose, so just go for it.
11) Please get trained/ certified in as much stuff as possible. try to get folks to help you out as well. Here’s an organization that does wilderness medical training in North America. Obv. the more the better. every person carrying a bit of water. thirst is a shite indicator of need 4 water. Once your thirsty, omae wa mou shindeiru. Take a sip of room temp water every twenty mins or so. also, don’t drink cold water if you’ve been out bashing fash. you’ll puke because your body’s fucked up like that. SUNSCREEN!
12) If anyone wants to get free training to get started as a street medic, google search “stop the bleed.” Every major U.S. hospital has funding for this. Even if you can’t make it to trainings, THEY WILL COME TO YOU. Just get a group of friends, email the instructor and set up a time and location. After you take the course, you can register to teach it yourself! Spread the knowledge, spread the skill!
13) Two first aid manuals you might want to look at:
-Wilderness & Rescue Medicine (Jeffrey E. Isaac, PA-C & David E. Johnson, MD; 2013, Jones & Bartlet Learning)
–The Field Guide Of Wilderness & Rescue Medicine (Jim Morrissey, EMT-P, WEMT, with David Johnson, MD; 2017, Wilderness Medical Associates)
(Spanish version here!)14) Want to know more? Google “street medic training.” You might be surprised with what you come up with!
15) Talk to the organizers and:
- Make sure they know who you are and can point you out
- Make sure they can call you if needed (if the number is going to be spread around, do not use your regular phonenumber. Get a cheap medic-only phone)
- Make sure you are clearly visible (one of those neon vests works great, but don’t put ‘First Aid’ on it if you’re not licensed.
- Talk to them about how you will interact with cops. If you can play the polite neutral medic you sometimes get the chance to cross police lines and help arrested comrades, but you might also lose the trust of the activists. Talking with the organizers beforehand can make a difference.
16) Try to form a team so you can
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Divide tasks and do complicated tasks together
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Check on each other
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Take breaks
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Share skills
A big team is fantastic because it brings together a lot of skills, shares resources, allows for short shifts, increases your chances of being able to provide medics at every action and is far more sustainable long term.
17) Consider working with a separate Support and Recovery Team which can provide psychological first aid in the case of panic attacks,
dissociation, etc and can help activists recover after the event to prevent long term problems and burn outs. This requires just as much solid training as being a medic. Do not just jump into this. Doing support and recovery wrong can be very damaging.
QueerAnarchism 