Meet 9 of Butler County’s Hometown Heroes
To honor ‘service above self,’ Rotary clubs across Butler County recently honored 29 Hometown Heroes from the ranks of police, firefighters and emergency medical services.
The honorees will come together at the Hometown Hero Awards dinner Sept. 30 at Tesla BioHealing & MedBed Center on Route 8 in Butler Township, where the top three award winners will be further honored.
Read about nine of the 29 honorees below. Ten others were featured on social media yesterday and Wednesday.
To see the full list of 29 honorees, visit butlereagle.com/hometown-heroes.
As a child growing up in West Sunbury, Jordan Smith had one goal: to be a state trooper.
“I knew a former trooper, he got me interested … he was a friend of my grandfathers,” he said.
Kevin Smith’s entire world is firefighting, from serving as deputy fire chief of the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District or training young firefighters while serving as fire and hazmat program coordinator at Butler County Community College.
Smith began as a firefighter at age 19 in 1989 with the Marshall Township department in Allegheny County.
Nineteen years is a long time, but for Patrick Walker, it goes quickly when you enjoy the work you do.
Walker began his career in law enforcement with the Butler County Sheriff’s department in 2004, and has continued to accomplish his goal of moving through the ranks.
Melanie Hart is passionate about serving her community and rescuing animals. Sometimes, the two missions intertwine.
A member of the Zelienople Police Department for 25 years, Hart said she just sort of “fell into” police work. She previously worked as a dispatcher for Zelienople Borough. When Butler County switched to a countywide dispatch system, she faced losing her job.
Nathan Blackwood often has to bring work home with him.
There have been a few occasions when the Butler County 911 Center dispatcher has fielded a call about an emergency in Prospect, and then he has gone to the scene as chief with the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department when he finishes his shift at the office.
For Cody Craig, firefighting runs in the family.
Craig, chief of the Chicora Volunteer Fire Department, is a fourth-generation firefighter who entered the profession at the age of 14, following his grandfather, father, and uncles into the field.
After more than 15 years volunteering with Herman Volunteer Fire Company, Larry Shuler transitioned to the Butler Bureau of Fire in June 2019.
The move to a different department didn’t stop his work with Herman — he is still president of the department — and he still enjoys firefighter work, because of the result.
Ray McDonald of Evans City has worked his way through the medical profession from emergency medical technician to his current job as a registered nurse in the UPMC Passavant-McCandless post-anesthesia care unit.
It was cars, in a roundabout way, that started him on his career path.
Ryan Roberts never sees an end to the amount of training the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company needs to do. Covering three townships and a borough makes lacking any particular area of expertise a danger.
What may happen when firefighters respond to a call can change quickly and unexpectedly.
