The focus of it is what you are used to.
All scales are basically created equal - they must be, since they measure the same thing and scale the same way. (No pun intended.)
The only difference there can ever be between C/K/F (or R for that matter) is multiplying by one constant and/or adding another.
Yanks use Fahrenheit, grow up with it, and see it used every day. Therefore it is intuitive and logical. To them.
The vast majority of people on Earth - about 95% - actually don't, so it isn't.
That makes the phrasing and underlying assumption pretty characteristically American, and tempting to poke some gentle fun at.
Yes, he absolutely could. She had a gag reflex and was choking, clearing her airway would likely save her, and he actively chose not to. Calling an ambulance about an opiate OD and possibly some breathing assistance would give her a good shot at survival.