Group formed to raise money for emergency services unit
The Butler County Emergency Services Unit is similar to volunteer fire departments in that its members are not paid directly by the unit when dispatched, but a nonprofit group formed last year aims to help offset its members’ equipment and training costs.
The Butler County SWAT Association was created to help gather funding for the ESU, which operates under the direction of the Butler County District Attorney’s office.
Ed Lenz, commander of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, said the district attorney’s office has a line item for the unit in its annual budget, and there are a few other funding sources for equipment and training. However, the unit does not currently have enough equipment for every member, and many of them use their own equipment when dispatched.
A goal of the SWAT Association is to be able to supply not only the current members, but to give new members everything they need when they join the unit.
“Just the cost to outfit every officer with night vision and lasers, it's very expensive,” Lenz said. “If we're able to fundraise and spend money to send people to training, that's money we're not taking from the DA's office.”
The ESU has about 45 members, which includes police officers, firefighters, negotiators, paramedics and other emergency response personnel, many of whom offer their time to the unit while working at other departments within Butler County. The Butler County budget allocated $30,000 to the ESU in 2023 and 2024, in a line item under the district attorney’ office.
Christina Wilson, vice president of the Butler County SWAT Association, said the organization was getting plans together to raise money, but the shooting at the July 13 rally for former President Donald Trump put everything on the back burner.
Despite the interruption to the association’s plans, Wilson said it received its first donation from the Young family, in memory of Northern Regional Police Officer Kenneth Young, who died in 2011.
Wilson said the ESU and the tactical medical unit that is dispatched with it were integral to the response within the Butler Farm Show grounds on July 13.
“Their quick actions saved lives on July 13,” Wilson said.
The members of the ESU have to restock their supplies on their own, Lenz said, with medical supplies like tourniquets and medicine being constant concerns for the unit.
Members of the ESU may be paid by their home department for their service to the ESU, or they may accrue paid time off while dispatched with the unit. Despite the challenges in costs and the time commitment it takes for training and dispatches, Lenz said the ESU’s members stick with the department because they enjoy the work, and want to be part of special dispatches within Butler County.
“Everybody there wants to be there. If at any point if they don't want to be there, they can resign,” he said. “We end up with a very dedicated group, because not only is it more, everybody wants to be there.”
