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what to know before training
what to know before training
Coming to a class? Wanting to know what you need to do before getting involved? Wondering what you should consider before volunteering? Read below to get an idea of what we are striving to do, what to consider, and where we will work!
do i need prior training or experience?
do i need prior training or experience?
While we highly encourage veterans and former or current professionals in any of the allied health, safety, or social services fields to volunteer with us, everyone has a role to play! Even if you aren't able to be out in the field with us, we can use all kinds of help in organizing supplies, performing outreach, and helping coordinate group events!
And if you are willing to undergo training and take on the challenges of being a community aid in the field, we are happy to have you! Being a Safety Aid and paired with an experienced health or safety member can be a massive help in handling a crisis.
The very nature of community street medicine and aid is to be where the community is at, no matter what event or social engagements are happening. This may mean chaotic scenes and extremely stressful scenarios. While we welcome every individual regardless of physical capabilities, we do recommend those wanting to be in Safety Medical or Safety Aid roles be able to physically:
Carry at least 30lb backpack of gear for several miles at moderate walking speed
Stand on feet in inclement weather for over four hours
Kneel, crouch, crawl and move while wearing protective equipment
Sprint short distances under stress
Drag a medium-sized individual short distances with assistance
is the training and work physically demanding?
is the training and work physically demanding?
what should i bring to an in-person training?
what should i bring to an in-person training?
First and foremost, bring your intentional self! Set a grounded intention and mindfulness to engage, learn, listen, and contribute to the entire group. We are a Society, and building intentional community is crucial!
Second, bring the gear you'd use in the field at an event or action. It's critical to train with your actual equipment, and you don't want to be unfamiliar with something when an emergency moment hits! Be dressed to move, wear clothing you'd normally wear during. It's a good time to understand what works and what doesn't.
Be sure to check out our equipment page to understand what you may need to bring. In addition to those items, bring a good notebook to take notes with, and any learning materials you may want to refer to.
And finally, if it's your first training, bring a helmet to get painted white and lettered so people can know where care and aid can be found!
Here’s a list of some online resources to dive deeper into social aid & care, especially in protest, disaster, and community‐driven contexts.
1. Project ECHO Model
A hub-and-spoke telementoring framework that “moves knowledge, not people,” empowering community partners (schools, clinics, tribes) to deliver best-practice care locally through virtual case-based learning.2. Reducing Harm, Protecting Health
A webinar from Street Medicine Institute about the care and practice of providing medicine in underserved communities and the unhoused.3. Guerillas in the Mist: What EMS Should Know about Street Medics
Examines the often-tense EMS ↔ street-medic interface, proposing collaborative models to improve hand-offs in chaotic protest settings.4. Boston University’s “The Street Medic”
A deep-dive story of the Boston Area Liberation Medic Squad (BALM), covering their origins, philosophy, training, and the psychology of protest medicine.
A global network applying the mutual-aid model to disasters; offers training materials, rapid-response protocols, and an active community of volunteers worldwide.
How can I learn more about what social aid & care is?
How can I learn more about what social aid & care is?
what is expected of members?
what is expected of members?
We expect all members to complete at least Basic Training (completing online materials and attending a few hours of in-person training) and have some sort of relevant experience, skillset, or aptitude. Furthermore, all members should:
Be willing to wear identifiable clothing and carry equipment.
Be able to stay calm in difficult situations and confrontations and not engage during moments of hostility.
Have experience in stressful situations or worked in hostile/dangerous environments, and be willing to render basic aid in potentially violent situations.
Be willing to undergo additional trainings such as Bleeding Control, Active Shooter, and/or full Street Medic training online or in-person as time and interest permits.
Understand rigid organized social support structures and networks may have difficulty being in place during chaotic social actions and often times are lacking for disenfranchised population events.
Be willing to help in areas that may be difficult or denied to other groups.
Remain peaceful and neutral, willing to render care and aid to all populations and communities
Strive to empower and support those taking social actions to further community engagement movements
No.
We are an apolitical semi-organized highly visible group of volunteers that relies heavily on their unique outside skills, experiences and abilities to create safe movements and render support to those who need it in moments of crisis in hostile situations.
We are individuals who recognize that social movements of the People is an important concept in American history and skills can be used to amplify liberty and freedom of those working these movements.
Health and safety is for all humans. Even those in the middle of social actions, disruptive events, or stressful civic engagements.
is this a paramilitary or anarcharist group?
is this a paramilitary or anarcharist group?
Street Medicine, as the larger discipline of street medics, is the medical practice of providing medical care out on the streets and away from the confines of medical facilities and systems. This includes provide medical care to unhoused and at-risk populations.
SMI has become the global leader in developing the field and practice of Street Medicine and has helped cultivate or improve Street Medicine programs in over 140 cities in 27 countries across 6 continents. Their website includes guides, practice manuals, webinars and training sessions, and more.
This article by Atlanta Resistance Medics provides a basic overview of the general history of street medics, what they do, and where the movement came from. Understand the past social movements of providing care to civic engagement events can help provide a more thorough understanding of social movements needing medical safety.
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