> Down here in Arizona, you are required to be EMT certified through the
 > junior college system BEFORE ever hiring on to a fire department now.
 > Too many wannabes out there. The course in 1986 used to cost $95
 > including malpractice insurance. Today, the same course is $245 plus
 > another $225 for malpractice, AND you have to present PROOF of MMR
 > vaccinations/DPT shots/Tetanus boosters/polio vaccine, and NOW the HEP B
 > vaccinations at OUR own cost. When something can't be proved, then you
 > have to have bloodwork to show that you have antigen positives to
 > measles, mumps, rubela, rubeola, polio, diptheria, tetanus, chicken pox,
 > and hepatitis B. All that can amount to a few hundred dollars more. The
 > Hep B series is $195 alone.  Back then, no health insurance paid
 > for Hep B unless you are in a profession that requires it. My HMO gave
 > me mine because they operate on a different premise - an ounce of
 > prevention is worth a pound of cure and of course, *state law* mandated
 > it. Today, Hep B vaccine is to be included in the standard course for
 > babies because of diapers, etc.
 It is the same way here.  It used to be a 1% bonus if you had CFR and 2% if 
you were an EMT-D.  Now that we have gone to one person around the clock 
EMT-D is REQUIRED for paid staff.  The vollunteers get everything paid for 
(EMT-D, physicals, shots, etc.).
    As to everything else I think that is cool & I do plan on going on for my 
Critica Care Technician.  Thanks for the feed back and info.
George Vaisey
Firefighter / EMT
Lake Shore Fire Department
--- GEcho v1.2 / FD 2.12
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