March 9 - 11 Street Medic Training

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Chicago Action Medical
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Chicago Action Medical invites you to a street medic training March 9-11 in Chicago. Chicago Action Medical is a street medic collective coming out of a period of dormancy to help support actions against the NATO/G8 happening in May in Chicago.

Street medics have been providing fellow activists with first aid treatmentand medical support during direct actions and street protests for social and economic justice for over forty-five years.We have been active in the civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam War movement, American Indian Movement, Earth First! and other environmental
defense actions, the anti-corporate globalization movement, and many other actions. Street medics have also participated internationally in solidarity with other liberation movements, from Palestine to Chiapas, and have responded to disasters including Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. Most recently, street medics have been active in the Occupy Movement, often working alongside other medical professionals or activists newly aware of
the need for first aid support.

Our lead trainer, Roger Benham, has been a street medic and trainer for 11 years. He has worked in support of protest movements and in disaster relief in Quebec, the Northeast U.S., Louisiana, Appalachia, Palestine and Haiti.
What Information Will Be Covered in the Training?

Practical information on taking care of yourself and your friends if you plan to attend protest events. While the focus will be on urban street protests, much of the material may also be applicable to wilderness situations and first aid needs in your community. This includes preparing for actions, personal care, affinity group safety considerations, weather-related hazards, detox and aftercare, and your questions.

Street Operations Tactics, including a presentation and discussion of codes of conduct and ethics, team makeup and teamwork, calling for backup, and dealing with police/EMS, how/when to move patients and how to conduct triage.

Basic Street First Aid, including Initial Patient Assessment, treating bleeding wounds, splinting sprains and breaks, calling 911 for emergencies, and weather-related injuries.

Psychological First Aid. How to recognize and assist people with emotional distress whether it results from physical injury, excessive stress, or traumatic experience.

Chemical Weapons Treatments and Aftercare. Covers a review of current chemical agents in use, a discussion of personal protection gear (gas masks, respirators, etc), and a complete introduction to tear gas and pepper spray decontamination and treatment protocols with demonstrations, hands-on practice and role-plays.
Schedule and Location

The training will be at the Locked Out Collective, 3951 W Fullerton.

The tentative schedule for this training is as follows: Friday evening, March 9 from 6-10 pm; Saturday, March 10 from 9 am to 7 pm; and Sunday, March 11 from 9 am to 7 pm. We encourage people to attend all of the training, and we will give registration preference to people who can attend all of the training sessions. We will provide specific information about the training and various logistics to registered participants before the training weekend.
Food and Housing

We will supply lunch and snacks at the Saturday and Sunday trainings.

Housing during the training weekend is available on a first-come-first-served basis. If you will need housing, please contact Chicago Action Medical as soon as possible. When you request housing for the training weekend, please tell us about any allergies, dietary restrictions, or other special needs you have so we can try to accommodate your requests.
Costs

We have a sliding scale fee from $0 to $100 for this training course. We do not want financial restrictions to keep anyone from taking this course. We anticipate that our cost per trainee will be between $30 and $40, and we hope that donations from participants will cover our costs. Any money raised will go towards future trainings and preparing for the NATO/G8 protests.

Registration Information

Space for this course is limited, so please provide us with the information asked for below as soon as possible. Once we receive this information, we will reserve a space for you in the course. If your plans change, please let us know as soon as possible so we can let someone else have your spot. All information you give us is confidential, and will not be used in anyway that is not directly related to this training.

We will be offering more trainings before NATO/G8, including a 10-hr bridge training for medical providers who already have very solid first aid skills. Contact us if you can't come to this training but would like information about future ones.

To register for the Basic Street Medic Training, write to Chicago Action Medical at ChicagoActionMedical@riseup.net or call us at (312) 375-3193 and give us the information requested below. We expect this course to fill up quickly, so the sooner you register, the more likely that you will be in the course. Keep in mind that registration preference will be given to people who can attend all of the training sessions. We will have a waiting list if the course fills up. It is particularly important to contact Chicago Action Medical promptly if you are coming from out of town and will need a place to stay during the training.

Please provide the following information when registering for this training course...

Your Name:

Phone Number(s) where we can leave messages regarding the training:

Email Address:

Best way to contact you:

Can you come to all of the sessions?

If not, which sessions will you miss?

What dietary restrictions do you have (if any)?

What allergies do you have that we should know about (food, latex)?

Do you have any other special needs?

Do you need housing during the training (not definitely available, contact us and we'll let you know)?

Do you need childcare during the training (also not definitely available)?

Do you have any other concerns or considerations we should know about?

Optional: Where did you first hear about this training?
Optional: Tell us briefly about why you're interested in the training.

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