Many of them, like George Hepler, were born in Butler County, while others worked in the area, were visiting or were just passing through, but all of them risked their lives to try and save someone else.

Since it was established in 1904, the Carnegie Hero Fund has award 10,000 Carnegie Medals to people for acting to save someone in a moment of crisis. At least 20 of those have gone to people for acts in and around Butler County.

The first given out in the county was in 1918, when Dominick Fanno, a section foreman with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, saved two brothers from drowning in Zelienople.

Fanno, who was 40, saw Edward, 7, and Alexander Nagy, 10, fall into an eddy in the Connoquenessing Creek. Fanno, who was barely able to swim, pulled Edward from the eddy, but Alexander was swept into an 18-foot deep hole.

Fanno tried to move toward Alexander but was also swept into the hole. He was able to hold the boy up and keep the boy’s head above water.

A man helped both of them out of the water. Fanno was unconscious but was revived. He lived to the age of 92, dying in 1971 in New Castle.

According to his obituary, Fanno lost his watch during the rescue, and railroad officials presented him a replacement.

A 2006 incident resulted in three men from the county receiving the Carnegie Medal.

On June 21, 2006, the vehicle Timothy Baptiste, 47, was driving was stopped on Route 422 in Summit Township when it was hit by a box truck and burst into flames.

Three men nearby rushed to help. Richard Gigliotti, who was a 21-year-old student at Slippery Rock University; Frank Osterling, 50, a sales engineer; and Dennis Mark Baptiste, 45, a construction worker, all worked to get Timothy Baptiste out of his vehicle as the fire continued to spread.

The men got Timothy Baptiste out through the driver’s window moments before the vehicle exploded. Though Dennis Baptiste couldn’t have known when he stopped, he was Timothy Baptiste’s cousin, in addition to his rescuer.

Timothy Baptiste sustained extensive injuries and burns in the crash but was able to make a recovery.