community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
unprepared
by ernie h
Monday, Mar. 31, 2003 at 12:31 PM
"For pittsburgh indymedia"
Both in Edgewood and at the TDA we were medically unprepared for the police response.We still have no trained medical cadre. north East Action Medics will do a full length training but they need both volunteers and a local sponsering organization.
Meanwhile,there is a good pamphlet "Health and Safety at Militant Actions " available online at
http://www.action-medical.net
There is also a lot there that most of us are not trained to attempt.Two of the most important concepts in medicine are "scope of practice"(don't do what your not trained to do) and "first do no harm" (don't do anything that might make the patient worse.)
About all most of us are qualified to do is irrigate our friends eyes with water plus what ever standard first aid we might have had.(see the pamphlet for good directions.)You need a squirt bottle,not a pour bottle.
Be sure not to wear contacts and remove them from your friends eyes in event of pepper spray or other chemical attack.
If everyone would bring a one quart bottle of water-squirt bottle- and a trash bag (to keep the patient dry-we would be much more able to care for our friends.
remember swim gogles for yourselves, along with your bandana.
A first aid station at the rally point wouldbe a great way for people avoiding arrest to show support.bring rubber gloves to avoid contamination.
a f
medics
by Evan N
Monday, Mar. 31, 2003 at 5:43 PM
Medics marching along would be good like they had at the last convergence. I know that they are a pain to organize becuase it coists money, but we will for sure need some with lots of water at the re-convergence (since its probly gonna be hot) and i'll bring that up at hte next AWC meeting
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