We learned in Sunday's Eagle about a donation that really will make a difference, that of the Chicora American Legion to the Karns City Regional Ambulance Service.

The legion gave $2,000 from money it raised throughout the year. David Fleeger, the post commander in Chicora, said the Legion's partner organizations all supported the donation.

Fleeger said the post had money, more than $4,000 in total, that has gone unused for years, so administrators decided to donate half of it to the ambulance service and half to the Chicora Volunteer Fire Department.

“We work very closely with Chicora fire department, the Chicora Moose; the fire department and Chicora American Legion sponsor the Memorial Day festivities,” Fleeger told us. “Everybody thought that was a great idea to give them the money.”

We wholeheartedly agree — emergency services providers are in more need than ever of assistance.

Mark Lauer, the president of Karns City Ambulance Service, said the donation nearly brought him to tears, because it made him optimistic for the future.

We’ve written before about the plight of small emergency services providers. They are facing increasing costs for both major equipment like trucks and ambulances, as well as rising fuel costs, and that doesn’t even mention trouble recruiting and retaining qualified people to serve as emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

The problem is one being faced by communities statewide, and there is an impact in Butler. In early August, the county commission heard from a resident of Donegal Township about an emergency call where it took more than an hour for the patient to be transported.

Time is one of the most important factors when it comes to saving a patient in a medical emergency, and making sure small emergency services providers stay open is one way we can help keep patients in rural areas safe.

The donation from the American Legion will help Karns City Ambulance Service keep saving lives. That is a cause everyone should be able to get behind.

— JK

This story was updated Aug. 24, 2023 to clarify that more than $2,000 went to the EMS and another more than $2,000 went to the fire department.