Street medic

Street medics at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. for the September 24, 2005 anti-war protest.

Street medics, or action medics, are volunteers with varying degrees of medical training who attend protests and demonstrations to provide medical care such as first aid. Unlike regular emergency medical technicians, who serve with more established institutions, street medics usually operate in a less formal manner.

History

Street medics originated in the U.S. during the African-American Civil Rights Movement and anti-war movement in the 1960s. They conceived of medicine as self-defense, and provided medical support to the American Indian Movement (AIM), Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), Young Lords Party, Black Panther Party, and other revolutionary formations of the 1960s and 1970s. Street medics were also involved in free clinics developed by the groups they supported. The street medic pepper spray removal protocol (MOfibA - Mineral Oil Followed Immediately by Alcohol) was later adopted by the U.S. Military. (This practice can cause severe damage to the patient if done incorrectly and is therefore no longer used)