Thanks, all!
Sorry about the keyboard, Sasha. I'll try to curb such outbursts of sly wit in the future.
(not really, but societal norms dictate apologies in this case, so I’m giving the appropriate lip-service)
Heya to the fellow Pennsyltuckians. I'm here going on seven years now, originally from NY, landed in PA by way of FL (Tampa and FT Myers), then WA (Seattle). Seven years and I can ALMOST stop thinking of anything north of Harrisburg as "Upstate," anything past Hanover as "Out West Somewhere," and anything east of Wrightsville as "On The Wrong Side of the River."
I call myself a volunteer despite not marring my vehicle with a whack pack, and carrying my Minitor V 24/7 because... well.. because to be honest, I think that's kinda silly. I know who I am--don't need to do that to be sure of it.
The choice to be a volunteer, for me, is simple mathematics. To run paid EMS at the EMT-B level here, I'd be spending more on babysitters than I was bringing home --or close enough to make the difference immeasurable. Might as well stay home with my kids while they're young and will tolerate their Old Man, and run shifts when my schedule permits. That said, I average around 6-10 PT contacts/week. No, it's not much, but unfortunately, that's all I can do right now.
I'll work as a medic once I finish school.
Later!
--Coop
