Cheer

Assistant Chief Kevin Smith of the South Butler Volunteer Fire Department was doing something nearly every volunteer firefighter has done — enter a burning building — last Sunday when he became trapped in the three-story structure at 339 Center Ave.

The 127-year-old building was destroyed by fire. It was torn down Wednesday and Thursday.

For a while Sunday, Smith seemed to be in grave danger. He was equipped with a mask and breathing apparatus but was trapped in a collapsing building being consumed by flames.

Thankfully, things took a positive turn, and Smith was able to escape via a daring ladder descent that drew admiration from his fellow firefighters.

We are thankful that Smith is safe and sound, and that his quick-thinking colleagues were able to help bring him to safety. But the incident is a reminder of how much our volunteers risk whenever they suit up and roll out to a fire call. They give selflessly of their time, and put their lives on the line, to help keep communities safe.

That’s more than worthy of praise and support.

Jeer

Friendly competition is one thing. But there’s nothing friendly about pulling a gun on a rival business — and that’s just what happened on Pittsburgh’s South Side several months ago, while two tow truck drivers apparently were vying to be the one to assist police at an accident scene.

That proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, but Pittsburgh police say there are long-standing concerns about tow truck drivers stooping to unscrupulous behavior at the scenes of accidents.

That’s simply unacceptable — a fact that state Rep. Dom Costa, D-21st, seems to recognize. Costa has drafted a bill that would require towing companies to register with municipalities where they want to work, require police to call for a tow truck, institute a rotating schedule for using tow services, and allowing parking enforcement personnel to certify that a vehicle is parked illegally on private property before it is towed.

It remains to be seen what steps should to be taken to correct this issue. And it may be that Costa’s bill, in its current form, is overkill. But something must be done to enforce more professional, aboveboard behavior among towing services.

Cheer

Developmental disorders like autism and Down syndrome can be overwhelming on their own, but a Middlesex Township family is trying to help 5-year-old Liam Connelly deal with both at once.

That’s a tremendous task, but the family has hope that a service dog might help Liam overcome the challenges before him, and has started fundraising efforts to help defray the high cost — $10,000 to $20,000 — of a specially-trained animal companion.

There are few things more worthy than reaching out to help a child succeed and come into their own as they grow, and it appears that people and businesses have come out in a big way to support this effort — which is called Lab for Liam after the breed of dog the boy’s family is seeking.

It’s good to see a community rally around a cause that, rather than being grounded in tragedy, is propelled by hope for the future.