#streetmedics

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):

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.

Voraussetzung u.a.: -medizinische Qualifikation -16. bzw. 18. Lebensjahr -Persönliche Eignung

Schreibt uns unter [email protected] und kommt zu unserem Gruppentreffen. (Mehr Infos: http://demosanitaeter.com/mitmachen)

(Ursprüngliches Bild: Jens Volle)

Ab 08:00 Uhr ist unsere Sanitätsstation beim Café Knallhart an der Universität ( Von-Melle-Park 9, 20146 Hamburg ) geöffnet!

Heute (Samstag den 17. Juni 2017) werden wir mit einem 3er Team die Proteste gegen den Aufmarsch der rechten Gruppierung „Fellbach wehrt sich“ sanitätsdienstlich absichern.

Ab morgen werden wir beim Kultur Konospe Festival im El Palito in Stuttgart für euch als Sanitätsdienst vor Ort sein! Wir freuen uns auf 3 schöne Tage mit netten Leuten, aber wenig Patienten, an der frischen Luft und hoffen, dass viele von euch vorbei schauen werden! Nähere Infos zum Programm findet ihr hier.

Im vergangen Jahr mussten bei insgesamt 26 Einsätzen der Sanitätsgruppe Süd-West 349 Patienten versorgt werden. Damit hatten die Sanitätskräfte 2016 4 Einsätze mehr als im Jahr davor, mussten aber 252 Patienten weniger versorgen als 2015.

Große Einsätze mit vielen Patienten waren im Jahr 2016 vor allem die Proteste gegen die „Demo für Alle“ in Stuttgart, die „Endegelände“ Klima-Aktionen, das Umsonst & Draußen Festival in Stuttgart und die Proteste gegen „Fellbach wehrt sich“. Auch beim AfD Bundesparteitag in Stuttgart kam es zu einigen Patienten, die allerdings vor allem von DemosanitäterInnen anderer Gruppen versorgt wurden.