In America

This sort of thing comes up all the time. A journalist or television/radio show presenter/guest will say something that begins with "In America they . . . " or "The Americans do . . . ". When I first moved here I used to think/say "That's not true. I never saw anything like that". However, over time I came to realize that America's a big place. I haven't been to large chunks of it and don't know how life is lived in those places.

Still, when I read this comment by T. Ryle Dwyer in the Irish Examiner on Saturday, it struck me as untrue.

In America ambulances are privately run, often by funeral homes. Different ambulances will race to the scene of an accident. It may be disconcerting for patients to wonder whether getting to the hospital on time is in the interest of the funeral home.

So, I did a quick search to see if I could find any reference to ambulances being run by funeral homes.

Here's what I found: that this was a fairly common practice years ago - say before 1960. Maybe it still persists in places, but not in any major city that's for sure. I remember as a kid that ambulances were essentially just station wagons like this one. The ones I remember had big fins, but these are essentially the same and I'm sure this model car could have doubled as a hearse too, which actually makes sense when you think about how ambulance services might have evolved.

So, I doubt that ambulance services are run by funeral homes today. Most cities and big towns have EMS personnel with modern ambulances. I suspect Mr. Dwyer is harking back to his youth rather than checking on the modern situation.

If anyone knows of any place in the US where this practice still exists, please e-mail me.
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For examples of what I found on ambulances and funeral homes, read

• here
• here