Laurels & lances: Blood, gators and money
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Laurel: To a rapid response. In the event of an emergency, time isn’t money. Time is life or death. The speed of getting medical attention is the difference between survival and tragedy.
That is why it is amazing to see local EMS organizations on the cutting edge of a vital treatment. In May 2023, Pittsburgh paramedics were the first ground-based EMS workers in the state to give blood at the scene, giving a vehicle accident victim four units of whole blood immediately.
The teenage victim was trapped, and it took about an hour to free him. The blood he received might be what helped him survive.
Pittsburgh EMS is expanding that pilot program. Mutual Aid EMS in Greensburg is following that lead in Westmoreland County. It’s a move that comes after a state Department of Health change in “prehospital protocol” guidelines.
It’s a smart and proactive effort. It also underscores the critical job by first responders to do more than just transport someone in medical need but to be the initial providers of lifesaving treatment.
Lance: To reptiles on the loose. The seasons change so rapidly these days. Why, it seems like alligator season just passed, and here it is again.
Yes, yet another alligator has been found swimming freely in a Southwestern Pennsylvania waterway. This 2½-foot gator was in a Beaver County creek near Freedom. Police believe he is either an abandoned or escaped pet.
That tracks, as it’s the story behind other alligators picked up in the region — like the steady stream of them that popped up in the Kiski River last year.
It’s not even summer yet, people. Be responsible for your reptiles or find a rescue for them. To paraphrase Pittsburgh native Jeff Goldblum’s “Jurassic Park” character, just because you can have a small dinosaur in your house doesn’t mean you should.
Lance: To another math problem. Does Hempfield Area School Board need a new calculator? It seems like they have trouble adding things up.
Right now, the proposed 2024-25 general fund budget is falling $3 million short. The district is projecting $106.6 million in revenue but $109.6 million in expenses.
The state Legislature might blow past budget deadlines every year, but it doesn’t allow the same leeway for school districts, which must meet their June 30 deadline and have a balanced budget.
The district says the problem isn’t the high school renovation project, but that’s hard to swallow when the district has paid $2.4 million for the project to Core Architects, which resigned in February. That project is stalled because of bids coming in way over budget.
They might come from different pots of money, but it still adds up to an overall problem with setting a budget and sticking to it.