Those who worry about the state of emergency medical services in Butler County must have been encouraged by the stories in the Butler Eagle on Sunday.

Two stories on Page A1 detailed emergency medical service situations, and another appeared on Page B5.

One story on the front page reported that Karns City Regional Ambulance Service, which cares for our neighbors in the northeastern part of the county, has purchased a former mobile home court that will serve as the new site of the ambulance service.

In yesterday’s editorial, we talked about how the 7-acre property on Kittanning Pike will help create a permanent home in the form of a new station on a 4-acre parcel. The ambulance service will sell a three-bedroom house on a 3-acre lot to pay off the mortgage taken out to pay for the property purchase.

The ambulance service is working with 11 municipalities it serves plus county officials and elected officials at the state and federal level to pay for the new station’s construction.

Mark Lauer, president of the ambulance service and a longtime emergency services provider in the county, said that since 2021, Karns City Regional has bought and paid off a new ambulance, bought a used ambulance, and increased the wages of its staff of two full-time and 15 to 18 part-time employees.

But the other front-page story also focused on emergency medical service providers. It apprised readers of the importance of the county’s Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) Unit, which responds to every emergency the county’s Emergency Services Unit responds to.

The TEMS Unit provided essential assistance when bullets flew July 13 at the Trump rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds. The unit acted quickly to render aid to gunshot victims before ambulance crews could get through the crowd.

In yet another article in Sunday’s edition, we reported that the Butler County Community College EMS Academy graduated its first eight emergency medical technicians, all of whom are county residents.

Because they attended the academy free and received $520 weekly stipends during their accelerated course, all eight are required to work full time for one year at a licensed ambulance service that is based in the county.

County Commissioner Kevin Boozel said nine licensed ambulance services in the county are short about 125 EMTs, which can result in longer response times.

The EMS Academy was established by the county to help alleviate the problem, Boozel said. These measures are no Band-Aid on the EMT issues faced in Butler County, but rather represent strong plans for the future.

What is more important than the availability of well-trained medical professionals when a desperate resident or motorist calls 911?

These EMS services and their staffs represent employees who are among the most vital in the county, and the Eagle applauds each and every man or woman who chooses a profession that literally saves lives, as well as the ambulance services that provide them with pay and benefits.

Maybe all of us should offer a handshake and thank-you to the EMTs and paramedics we see when we stop to grab a coffee or when we pass their place of employment.

They all represent a real shot in the arm to the residents of Butler County.

— PG