Are some geographic regions more screwed up than others????

[BossyCow]

Q. Which part of the nation doesn't expect their paramedics to interpet 12 lead ECGs for STEMIs?

A. Orange and LA Counties in California!

Wow, Washington is teaching that to EMT-Bs

 

[triemal04]

My vollie SAR group has 2 engineers, a psychologist, 2 career ff/paramedics, and a scientist.

Actually, while not 100% accurate, he's got a pretty good point. The numbers may vary from area to area (think a small city back east that otherwise would be served by a professional dept being volunteer because of traditions) but I'm going to agree that the majority of people involved in volunteer firefighting, search and rescue, rescue squads (ultimate whackers) and the like are more blue collar workers or people who grew up in that area and just never left.

Your own example helps to prove it I'm fairly sure; you've got 4 people that could be considered white-collar workers, out of how many total? And that total comes from what size population overall?

The reasons for this are myriad, anything from people working in the local industry (factories, mills, etc) and thus being available for calls, to the more edjumakated not knowing about local volunteer services, to some people really being afraid to get their hands dirty or being able to handle it (that last isn't across the board, but when you've spent your life using your hands and working in labor intensive jobs, dealing with blood or flames seems to be less intimidating than it is for someone who has never been outside an office cubical)

If anyone doesn't think that class differences play a part in all aspects of life in the US, you really need to open your eyes.

Edit:

Wow, Washington is teaching that to EMT-Bs

Really? Is that teaching them how to actually interpret a 12-lead, reading the monitors interpretation, or just having them look for ST-elevation?