medical suplies

Man, is this supplies getting pricey and hard to find! We need to figure out a way to help fund this! I don't know about you guys, but I'm breaking the bank here

Stop buying supplies. You're looking at a couple of scenarios: best case, some dehydration some heat exhaustion; easily fixed with shade and water and some ice packs. Worst case: full on beatdown by thugs and cops. In which case it's out of our hands anyway. The word needs to get spread for everyone to bring a couple bottles of water, their meds, a 3x5 card in thier pocket of said meds, and a bottle of ibuprofen. The best thing we can really do is monitor people and keep an eye on them until EMS arrives.

Me personally, I have (2) Cls bags, couple BP cuffs, ENT set, some stethoscopes, etc.

in case of pepper spray:

http://medic.wikia.com/wiki/L.A.W._(liquid_antacid_and_water)
http://medic.wikia.com/wiki/For_pepper_spray_on_the_skin

i have 2-3 frozen ice packs i will bring and i have some neosporin i will bring , someone grab 98 cent bandaids from wally world and call it a day. I doubt jax is going to beat on us but you never know ! Im ready either way but i plan to stay peaceful

i have 2-3 frozen ice packs i will bring and i have some neosporin i will bring , someone grab 98 cent bandaids from wally world and call it a day. I doubt jax is going to beat on us but you never know ! Im ready either way but i plan to stay peaceful

Never plan for violent confrontation. It's like that saying about about bringing a gun unless you plan to use it. Any escalation of violence on the protesters part destabilizes the legitimacy of the whole movement. You can be prepared to be violently confronted, but you must never be prepared to react in a violent manner. The only thing a volunteer medical staff needs to be prepared for is weather related injuries and the ability to monitor someone until EMS arrives. We aren't going to treat people in a violent confrontation. We do not have the facility or supplies for that.

there are numerous clips of unprovoked police beating and pepper spraying people at OWS. being prepared to assist people who are attacked by police is a long way away from encouraging violent escalation on the part of protesters. this is part of what street medics across the world do.

I was specifically referencing the above recipes for pepper spray. You can't come armed. Don't even bring a pocket knife. The sharpest thing I'll have are my trauma shears.

TBH, though, if something like that happens, then you suck it up and take one for the team. Those clips have shown protesters doing nothing and police beating people. Those clips have done more for the movement than any manifesto or Ed Schulz broadcast. You have to be prepared to be injured and resolve to not fight back.

click the links. those are not recipes for pepper spray, they are instructions on treating people who have been pepper sprayed. a maalox-h2o solution is not a weapon.

regardless of their strategic value, a person who has been assaulted (especially with a chemical weapon) is a likely frightened person deserving of whatever assistance is available in that moment. if we aren't going to look out for each other, then what is the point?

You're not getting my point. Anything confrontational, anything slightly assertive, anything other than a deliberately peaceful gathering is nothing but media fodder for a right wing media to paint this thing as infiltrated by union thugs and anarchists. You absolutely cannot be confrontational in any way. Of course helping people is fine, but you have to be mindful of the perception.

there is nothing confrontational about treating people who have been assaulted with a chemical weapon. the cops are supposed to treat people they've pepper sprayed themselves after they've been subdued if the circumstances allow. it is one of the most common injuries at a demonstration, regardless of whether or not the crowd is being confrontational or what its composition is, and it is simply negligent to ignore it as a possibility and expect people to "take one for the team." all of the people who have been sprayed at OWS have been attended to by medics and it didn't interfere with appearances. pepper spray can also have long term health effects on people wearing contact lenses, the elderly, people with asthma and other disabilities, etc.

Okay. I"m not gonna argue about it.

how about this , ill bring a sewing kit and give it to anyone that needs stitches ? haha j/k , really tho we should only be worried about small things. We are in no way shape or form allowed to perform serious medical care as you can be SUED. I would recommend having a few med helpers with bandaids and neosporin from falls or slips. maybe a few ace bandages but thats it.

I've put together a basic trauma kit and another kit to deal with pepper spray, mace, tear gas, etc.
As I stated before, know your scope of practice, and stick to it. Build your kit according to that.
For any of you that have already started putting your kits together, you've probably seen what I've been talking about. ACE bandages are around $10 each. With this in mind, we should share what we can and try to buy equipment that serves dual purposes.
As far as violence goes, remember that scene safety is our top priority. If the scene becomes unsafe, make it safe. If you can't make it safe, get out of there. With that being said, don't rush into a situation with the police. If someone's getting pepper sprayed or taking a beating, they knew the risks and they'll have to wait for treatment until the situation has settled. We're supposed to be looking after these people. If we get hurt or arrested, what good are we to them?

I have a bunch of stuff I could bring at the next GA that you guys can go through and pick out what you want to keep. I had my gallbladder removed last year and stole a whole bunch of stuff from the hospital to bring home because they botched my surgery. I have bandages, medical tape, and other stuff. It's sterile, I promise. I'll just bring it all in a zip loc bag and you can keep what you want.

OccupyProChoiceJax wrote:I have a bunch of stuff I could bring at the next GA that you guys can go through and pick out what you want to keep. I had my gallbladder removed last year and stole a whole bunch of stuff from the hospital to bring home because they botched my surgery. I have bandages, medical tape, and other stuff. It's sterile, I promise. I'll just bring it all in a zip loc bag and you can keep what you want.

That's pretty bad ass. Thanks so much!

No problem. They're mostly Accu-Sorb Gauze Sponge - USP Type VII Gauze, 4in x 4in in 12 ply with 10 in each box and I have 3 boxes. Then I have 3 Avant Gauze Drain Sponges 4in x 4in. with 2 sponges in each pack and I have 4 packs. I have about a roll and a half's worth of medical tape. A tube of vitamin A&D ointment for burns and scrapes, etc. A box of 5 large gauze pads 4in x 4in. and a half full bottle of perineal/skin cleanser.

I'm sure I'll unearth more but you'll have quite a bit of gauze.

Doesn't Florida have good Samaritan laws keeping your from being sued if your trying to give medical treatment?

Sorry I answered my own question. http://www.cprinstructor.com/FL-GS.htm it would cover you from most emergency treatment

I've asked paralegal about this. They should be getting back to me soon. Atleast I hope. I may have to hit them up again.

in theory, yes the good sam law would protect us...in practice, less so. there have been too many cases successfully brought against good samaritans. i would advise against even putting neosporin on someone. you can offer someone something but you CANNOT give them any sort of medication orally, nasally, topically, etc... that includes the person having a heart attack who cannot reach his nitro...you can put it in his hand but not his mouth. only RNs and Dr.s can legally administer medicine. thanks to so many sue-happy people, we have to be extra careful...

yogakat wrote:in theory, yes the good sam law would protect us...in practice, less so. there have been too many cases successfully brought against good samaritans. i would advise against even putting neosporin on someone. you can offer someone something but you CANNOT give them any sort of medication orally, nasally, topically, etc... that includes the person having a heart attack who cannot reach his nitro...you can put it in his hand but not his mouth. only RNs and Dr.s can legally administer medicine. thanks to so many sue-happy people, we have to be extra careful...

This is precisely why I proposed we only allow folks with certifications in medical. If you have consent and you stay within your scope of practice, you're protected by GS. It's for our own protection.