BUTLER TWP — The township commissioners have decided how to divide the $328,422 they designated for fire protection for 2015.

They voted last week to divide up the money this way: 56 percent will go to Butler Township Fire District No. 3, 22 percent will go to the Mercer Road department and 22 percent will go to the South Butler department.

In the past, fire funds in the township budget had been divided among the five volunteer fire departments that serve township residents. But in 2013, the Meridian, Lyndora and Greenwood Village departments merged into Fire District No. 3.

In 2014, 60 percent of the fire money, then $318,857, was allocated to Fire District No. 3. The remaining 40 percent was split between the Mercer Road and the South Butler departments.

So this year Fire District No. 3 gets a little less while the other two departments get a little more.

Vo-tech students compete in event

Several students at the Butler Vocational-Technical School last week participated in the Health Occupations Students of America annual State Leadership Conference and Competition in Lancaster.

Six students placed in their categories at the March 11-13 event, and seven others participated:

Brittany Reitler, a Karns City student, placed first in personal care; Kaitlynn English and Joshua Cranmer, Butler students, received third in first aid/CPR; Amelia Cua and Halie Smith, Butler students, placed third in forensic medicine; and Danielle Gross, a Butler student, received third in knowledge exam of pharmacology.

Also, Lisa Hay of Mars and Robert McClelland of Knoch participated in first aid/CPR; Amanda Bellis of Karns City and Renee Young of Butler participated in a health career display; Tequila Briner of Slippery Rock participated in a medical reading exam; and Shawna Klara of Butler participated in nursing assisting.

Drennen is finalist in ethics contest

PITTSBURGH — A Mars native is among four Duquesne University business students selected as finalists in an elite ethics competition.

Jamie Drennen is in the university’s Pi Sigma Epsilon sales and marketing society and is a finalist in the 2015 Berg Cup Competition. She’s on a four-person team in the competition.

The team is among only eight chosen, based on a case study response, to compete Friday and Saturday at the University of Pittsburgh.