A Maryland State Trooper who had just completed a CPR refresher course helped save a man who suffered an apparent heart attack near the 11th fairway at the Congressional course in Bethesda.

Trooper Paul Zimmerman and Montgomery County Police Officer Deirdre Sugrue were escorting players as part of security when spectators alerted them to a man in his 30s who had collapsed on a cart path.

"After assessing the man’s condition, the trooper and county officer immediately began CPR," state police said in a statement.

The patient was transported to Suburban Hospital. His condition could not immediately be ascertained.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Heroes
        

The Maryland State Police aviation unit rescued a hiker in Frederick on Sunday. Here is a statement describing the incident:

Two Maryland State Police Helicopters collaborated with a regional Helicopter Emergency Aerial Tactical, or "HEAT" team, comprised of members from the Frederick County Advanced Technical Rescue Team, to successfully rescue an injured hiker from a steep and rugged area on the face of Sugarloaf Mountain.

At approximately 12:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 11, 2010, SYSCOM, the communications center for the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, received a request from the Frederick County Emergency Operations Center for a hoist rescue and medevac of a 17 year-old male hiker who had fallen approximately 30-50 ft down the mountain, sustaining serious injuries.

Due to the remote location of the patient and the steep terrain that would have to be overcome, it was determined that an overhead hoist rescue would be the safest means of removal, for both the
patient and the rescuers. SYSCOM in turn dispatched the two closest multi-mission helicopters to the scene.

Continue reading "State police rescue hiker with helicopter" »

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Categories: Heroes
        

In the busy terminal of BWI airport, things stood still for a moment.

The passengers waiting for flights at gate C-7 looked up as police officers in white gloves lined up in two rows and a somber family huddled together, looking out the windows toward the tarmac.

As American Airlines Flight 1678 pulled up to the gate, it was showered by two blasts of water from airport fire trucks. The family then moved to the door, where Captain Jon Vise carried out a black suitcase.

Inside was an American flag that has traversed the country for the funerals of dozens of fallen military service members, police officers and firefighters. On Wednesday, it will be part of the services for Officer Tommy Portz Jr., a 10-year police department veteran who was killed when his patrol cruiser crashed into the back of a parked fire truck in West Baltimore.

[Photo by Sun photographer Kim Hairston]

Posted by Justin Fenton at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Heroes
        

Jeff Novack is indeed a hero, and a soft-spoken one at that. I know from history that firefighters are reluctant to talk about their deeds -- it is what they do and they hate being singled out for pulling someone out of a burning building.

"What we do happens every day."

Those were the simple words of 23-year-old Novack as he faced a bank of television cameras after getting the Medal of Valor from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. He got in front of a convention full of fellow firefighters from around the country at Thursday's opening ceremony of the Firehouse Expo, and that made him even more nervous. He politely told the mayor he didn't want to speak at the ceremony.

In the photo by The Sun's Barbara Haddock Taylor, Novack is with Fire Chief James S. Clack and Rawlings-Blake.

You'll probably remember that Novack rushed into a burning apartment building on Liberty Heights Avenue in April and rescued an elderly woman. He then rushed back in, got trapped and clung to a third-story window pain before finally letting go and falling to the ground. He recovered and is expected back at work in a few months.

(The Sun's Julie Scharper wrote a complete story on the fire and Novack's heroics a few weeks ago.)

But for the fire union, Jeffrey Novack is more than a hero. He's a symbol of everything that is wrong with the Baltimore Fire Department and the city. Novack was on a truck company and responsible for rescues. The nearest engine that pumps the water was on another call, and the next closest engine had bed shut down for budget reasons as part of rolling closures.

So Novack went into the burning building without backup. The union has used this case as yet another example of safety being compromised to save money. And union officials found it particularly upsetting that the mayor touted her devotion to public safety and the Fire Department in front of firefighters fround around the country when they feel she has compromised the safety of the city.

The mayor's office counters that Rawlings-Blake saved firefighters' jobs during one of the city's worst budgets, started programs to curtail frequent callers to 911 and reduced the number of rotating closures from up to five or six companies a day to three.

The young Jeff Novack has become part of the debate but he hasn't added to it. He accepted his award, the applause and the attention that comes with it. To the mayor, he's a shining example of what this city is about. To the union, he's a shining exmample of a troubled city.

Jeff Novack just wants to come back to work, fight fires and save lives.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Heroes, Northeast Baltimore
        

Feature stories can sometimes be the hardest to report. Unlike a breaking news event, they require a nearly perfect and impossible lineup of agendas. But it's so nice when everything does come together.

Cathy Isphording helped rescue Vivian Holley, 84, and Henry Harris, 73, whose boat capsized in the Patapsco River on Saturday. While pulling Vivian aboard the sailboat, rescuers noticed his ring was about to fall off, and they took it for safe keeping. Holley was rushed to the hospital before Cathy could return it.

She didn't have a name and Maryland Shock Trauma Center wouldn't give her any information. So she brought the ring to the Baltimore Police Department's Central District station, in an envelope with "William" scrawled on the outside (what she thought was Vivian's name). On Sunday, Cathy e-mailed a reporter at the Baltimore Sun wondering if we could track the ring.

I called police on Monday and a spokesman called the Central District and Officer Helen Mateo found it in the desk. We still didn't have a name of the victim though. But Mateo tracked down the police report and found Vivian at Shock Trauma. About the same time, Vivian's daughter in Buffalo called the newsroom looking for a phone number for the fire department so she could thank them.

Thought that, I was able to call Vivian and talk to him at the hospital, and the daughter, Bonnie Hawkins, was able to talk to her father's rescuer, Cathy Isphording. Tears were shed. A fun, bright story was born. A man saved. A ring found. Red tape cut. And a very happy retired longshoreman who lives to fish another day.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Heroes
        

Today's story on Marine Pfc. Daurius Ray (at left) is one of redemption and sorrow -- a young man who overcame a rough start, being in foster care, to become a track star and then a member of the armed services who got killed at a party in a dispute not of his making.

Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton captures his life and death in today's paper; he's third member of the military to die a violent death in Baltimore since Dec. 20. The loss of Ray was not a typical loss for this city. The only glimmer seems to be his foster family who provided him a stable life.

(From Justin: It should be noted that it was readers of this blog who pointed out that more American service members had been killed here in the city than in combat in Iraq over the past month. I doubted it at first, but it's true - there have been four service members killed in Iraq in that time frame, but only one was combat-related. Yes, most of the casualties are in Afghanistan these days, but there's still more than 100,000 soldiers in Iraq, according to Reuters.)

Then, on Tuesday, we learned the Baltimore area lost another Marine, this time fighting in Afghanistan. Brent Jones reports:

A 22-year-old Marine from Towson was killed Saturday in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane was assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Kane died in combat in the Helmand province. He was the first armed-services member from the Baltimore area killed in combat this year. Kane joined the Marines in May 2007. He was serving his first tour in Afghanistan

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Confronting crime, Heroes
        

For a second consecutive year, I spent an hour or so with Baltimore firefighters and watched them hand out toys to needy children. Their holiday giving has now expanded beyond homes and hospitals to the House of Ruth.

That's where firefighters with Truck 29 were on Wednesday. Excited kids climbed over the truck, heard a safey lesson and then grabbed toys. They're at the shelter with their mom who are escaping abusive relationships.

The firefighters were told not to ask the kids why they were there and names and pictures of the children and their moms were not allow. This picture shows Firefighter Michael Hineline, who heads the department's special events section, helping members of Truck 29 put toys on the table.

Hineline said all the new gifts are donated by firefighters, and that the department even "adopted" a 7-year-old boy and son of a Las Vegas firefighter. The boy was at Johns Hopkins Hospital this week getting extention in his leg; he has Dwarfism.

On Saturday, Hineline took the child to the National Aquarium and the Hard Rock Cafe at the Inner Harbor. On Monday, the boy successfully underwent surgery and is expected to be home this week.

Said Deputy Fire Chief Raymand Devilbiss, who has spent 39 years with the department, "I find myself wondering if I appreciate my own blessings."

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Heroes
        

Steve Herlth in Southwest Baltimore, whom I met on a police community ride-along, is one of the expert organizers of community crime walks, called Citizens On Patrol. Earlier this month, about 100 people swarmed over Carrollton Ridge after a child was hit and critically wounded by a stray bullet. The mayor and practically everyone in City Hall, as well as residents from across the city, turned out.

But the real test is what comes after the walks and then who shows up when there's no tragedy to mobilize and outrage a community. I was heartened to get this e-mail from Steve last night, and a picture, though grainy, of a good deed by residents who combined the walks with a trash detail, and the helpful hand of a city police officer:

Hi Friends, 

It has been a while since I wrote one of these Walk Status Reports, as you know, we have fun and communication between the communities is getting better all the time. However, tonight was a little better than usual.

Hunting Ridge came out with a plan tonight. Their walkers were armed with trash bags, what in the world are they going to do. Well, as soon as we got started, it became obvious. They started picking up trash as they walked. Well, that was cool all by itself, but the walk leader who I will name Dana, has a young child in the stroller.  She cannot pick up trash and push the stroller. Who came to the rescue?  The picture is worth a thousand words.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Confronting crime, Heroes, Neighborhoods
        

Baltimore police are announcing a "major development" in the case of the pit bull that was burned last month when someone poured gasoline on it and set it on fire. I can only guess that the cops have made an arrest.

This case got nationwide attention. Last week, the police commissioner and mayor honored the officer (Officer Syreeta Teel is congratulated by Commissioner Frederic H. Bealefeld at left) who came across the dog burning on Presbury Street in West Baltimore and put out the flames with her sweater. Unfortunately, the dog had to be put down several days later. A reward climbed to $23,000.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Breaking news, Heroes
        

Flanked by per parents, her boss, the police commissioner and the mayor, Baltimore Police Officer Syreeta Teel was honored this afternoon for her work in saving a pit bull that had been doused with gasoline and set on fire last month on the city's Westside.

Mayor Sheila Dixon talked about the "overwhelming response" to the fate of the dog, nicknamed Phoeinix, who had to be put down despite Teel's quick work to put out the fire and get the dog to help. An award, through private donations, has reached $23,500. "We are very committed to finding this individual," Dixon said, though police wouldn't comment on leads.

It was nice to see a city cop honored and Teel stood at attention in her dress blues as Dixon stood by her side and read a certificate thanking her for her work. Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld pointed to the officer's parents, Thurman and Deborah Evon Teel, and said it was they, not the department, who best trained the officer.

"Officer Teel didn't need us to teach her to be a good person," the commissioner said. "Officer Teel didn't need the city of Baltimore to teach her to be a humane person."

Posted by Peter Hermann at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Confronting crime, Heroes
        

The Baltimore Retired Police Benevolent Association on Wednesday night named a city homicide detective, 40-year veteran Randy Wynn (left, in a picture taken by the Baltimore Sun's Chiaki kawajiri), officer of the year for investigating the tragic suicide of a fellow cop who had no friends and family.

It was a touching ceremony at Heritage Gardens in Parkville that brought veteran cops to tears. Wynn told the group he had done nothing special, "I did what I felt needed to be done." But his Baltimore police colleagues disagreed -- the story of Patrolman Edward William Eldridge, who shot himself in the head in January and was buried without family or friends, spurned a new movement among cops to help their retirees.

Wynn had responded to the shooting in Northeast Baltimore but didn't know the victim was a fellow officer until a day later; the condition of the body made it hard to immediately identify. Eldridge (left) was having financial problems -- he had lost much of his $550,000 savings to the stock market, and couldn't find anybody to wait for him at a hospital for simple knee surgery.

"His way of dealing with this was to pick up a .40 caliber Glock and put two bullets in his head," Wynn told those gathered. Wynn spent days picking through Eldridge's things but could not find a friend or a relatives. All his phone numbers, listed on his fridge and programmed into his cell phone, went to an accountant, a take-out pizza place, a video rental store, a repairman for his house. He spent his time polishing his gun collection and watching movies; he had been robbed in a home invasion a few years earlier and he kept a hunting knife in each room and had black garbage bags covering all his windows.

"He was as paranoid as you can get," Wynn said.

Eldridge was buried with police honors; people came who never even knew him to pay their respects and Wynn tried but failed to find a relative. One did finally surface just a few weeks ago, but only after a probate firm hired to dispose of the dead officer's estate found a cousin. Karen Zglobicki told Wynn that she would use money from Eldridge's estate to help the retired officer's fund.

Wynn came to the ceremony with his wife and boss, Maj. Terrence McLarney, head of the homicide unit. One of the heads of the retirement association, Richard D. Nevin, spoke of Wynn's hard work that brought attention to a long-hidden problem.

"There is compassion," Nevin said. "There is kindness and mercy. He could've just written the reports and left. Nobody would've known and I don't think anybody would've cared, because there were no family members involved. He sat down and went through this man's history."

Nevin said he was heartened that "the department let him" take the time to investigate a case that could've easily been closed. "It shows there are some thinkers still in the department."

Nevin told the group that he started getting calls about Eldridge the morning the story appeared in the Baltimore Sun, before he even had seen it, and that calls kept coming all day. I got more than 100 e-mails about this topic, more than I've ever gotten throughout my 20-year career.

Wynn prepared well for his speech. He researched suicide on the Internet and couldn't believe that he found a manual on how to kill yourself, published just a few years ago in Japan. "One million people have bought this thing," he told me over dinner. He then went down a long list of various ways to take your own life. I asked how many of these he had seen in his career. He paused, read through the list and said, "Well, I just had a freezing the other day."

The detective warned the retired cops that they are in a high-risk category for sucide -- over 65, male and in law enforcement. He urged them to reach out to friends and old partners, "They're not going to ask you for help. Edward Eldridge wouldn't have asked for help if he was on fire."

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Heroes
        

It's been more than three months since I wrote about Edward William Eldridge Jr., the retired Baltimore police officer who killed himself after he couldn't find anyone to stay with him for out-patient surgery. His death served as a stark reminder to our retirees who sometimes have no one to help them in their times of need.

A city homicide detective, Randy Wynn, who had the awful task of investgating the death, spent hours upon hours inside the former officer's home searching for a relative. He found none, and Eldridge was honored at his funeral service by former colleagues and strangers. His story touched many, and left those who did know him sad that they hadn't kept up and known he was in trouble.

This morning, I awoke to an e-mail from a cousin, the first correspondence I've received from any relative. The officer's parents are dead, he was an only child and he never married. It's another sad chapter in the day of Officer Eldridge:

Dear Mr. Hermann,
 
I little over a week ago, I learned of my cousin's death from an opportunistic, probate-research firm based in California. It appears their researchers saw your story and promptly went about digging for those missing family members and an easy cut of an unclaimed estate. Within minutes, I located Ed's obituary and your Baltimore Sun articles about his death.  I've read those articles and comments many times over. My sense of sadness growing more profound each time. Here, I am in Philadelphia reading about the tragic end and circumstances of a stranger, my relative just an hour plus away.
 
Ed's father, Ed Sr., was the brother of my grandmother, Edna Eldridge Oelschlegel. He also had three more brothers and a second sister, all of which have passed. Ed Jr. was one of eight, Eldridge first cousins and some of them, including my mom and her sister, are gone as well.
 
I've tried to remember times spent with Uncle Ed, Aunt Ruth and cousin Ed, but I only remember bits and pieces of holidays of when I was little. The last few times I saw them were at family funerals in the 80s. Christmas cards and periodic phone calls were still being exchanged then, but responses decreased with time and ceased all together at some point; not to be noticed nor picked-up by the next generation. The sad truth is that there are several Eldridge family decedents in the Philadelphia area, and none of us had any contact with cousin Ed since those funerals from what I can tell.
 
I remember Ed as Mom's nice, soft-spoken cousin who knew a lot about everything and was a policeman down in Baltimore. I was glad to read that those traits were true throughout his life & career. Thank you for bringing his story to light and raising the awareness of isolation with age and the tragic consequences of not keeping-in-touch. Thank you for helping to start the discussion within the police community about retiree outreach. Thank you for bringing me reflection on what's important.
 
Sincerely,
Karen Zglobicki

Posted by Peter Hermann at 5:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Heroes
        

This week, I visited with Maryland State Police pilots, medics and maintenance workers at the aviation unit at Martin State Airport in Middle River. This is a family still grieving the loss of two of its members, along with another paramedic and a patient, when one of the MedEvac choppers crashed in September in Prince George's County.

Investigators have not determined a cause but have criticized air traffic controllers as being sloppy for not guiding the chopper properly and for providing outdated weather information during heavy fog. Changes also have been made to ensure that medics consult more often with trauma surgeons to make sure patients are suffering from traumatic injuries before calling for the helicopter.

Medevac pilots have one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, often flying under less-than-ideal conditions, having to quickly change routes without flight plants, performing high-altitude rescues and landing on highway overpasses and areas littered with power lines.

I spoke with several people, all of whom addressed the political issues, but they also talked from the heart about their committment to saving lives. We can debate all day whether some flights are unnecessary or whether the state would be better served by privatizing the unit, but there is no doubt that the crews I met believe the money Maryland spends on this program saves lives.

"It doesnt matter if you are a homeless person hit on I-95 or Donald Trump hit in his limo, you will get a helicopter and a committment from the state of Maryland to do everything to save your life," the operations director, Bill Bernard, told me.

I was most struck by David Rosenberger, who has spent 20 years repairing and inspecting the helicopters, and he knows the pilots and the crafts inside and out. He actually flies in them after he's fixed them, ensuring they are as safe as he can make them. "It's not just pride," he said, "It's a personal investment."

I met with this crew ahead of tomorrow's Fallen Heroes Day ceremony at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium, an annual event to remember law enforcement officers from Maryland who died in the line of duty.

This year's ceremony, presided over the Ravens Matt Stover, will honor Prince George's County Sgt. Richard Findley, Baltimore County Lt. Michael P. Howe, Maryland State Police Pilot Stephen Bunker, MSP Trooper Mickey C. Lippy, Waldorf Volunteer EMT Tonya Mallard, Baltimore County Firefighters Brian D. Neville and Thomas E. Rice, Frederick City Police Officer Richard Bremer, and FBI Agent Sameul Hicks (the former Baltimore police officer was fatally shot in Pittsburgh).

The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. at the cemetery, 300 East Padonia Road in Timonium and is open to the public.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Heroes
        

The annual Fallen Heroes Day is scheduled for May 1 at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium. Here is some background and a list of law enforcement officials to be honored, sent by the spokesperson for Dulaney Valley:

ANNUAL FALLEN HEROES DAY TO HONOR 8 WHO DIED IN LINE OF DUTY

Matt Stover, Baltimore Ravens, to Deliver Keynote Address

Maryland’s police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty during the past year will be honored at the 24th Annual Fallen Heroes Day Ceremony on Friday, May 1, 2009, 1:00 p.m. at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. Fallen Heroes Day is the only statewide ceremony in the nation that brings together all segments of the public safety community. The ceremony salutes police and correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical and rescue personnel who risk their lives everyday to protect the citizens of Maryland.

Fallen Heroes Day 2009 will honor the following: Sgt. Richard Findley, Prince George’s County Police Dept. (June 27, 2008); Lt. Michael P. Howe, Baltimore County Police Dept. (August 11, 2008); Pilot Stephen Bunker, Maryland State Police (September 28, 2008); TFC Mickey C. Lippy, Maryland State Police (September 28, 2008); EMT Tonya Mallard, Waldorf Volunteer Fire Dept. (September 28, 2008); PMFF Brian D. Neville, Baltimore County Fire Dept. (October 16, 2008); Officer Richard Bremer, Frederick City Police Dept. (October 23, 2008) and FADO Thomas E. Rice, Baltimore County Fire Dept. (January 21, 2009).

The ceremony will begin with a procession of more than 25 honor guard units from across the state, police motorcycles and mounted units, bagpipers and drummers. Memorial addresses will be given by elected leaders including, Governor Martin O’Malley, Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson. Matt Stover of the Baltimore Ravens will be the special guest speaker and Mary Beth Marsden of ABC 2NEWS will serve as the emcee.

“The 2009 Fallen Heroes Day ceremony truly captures the essence of  this occasion, as we honor a Maryland State Police pilot, and an emergency medical technician along with three police officers and three firefighters,”  said  John O. Mitchell, III Chairman of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.  “It is an opportunity for the public to show its appreciation and respect for all men and women of the public safety community.  When the community suffers the loss of one of these dedicated public servants we are reminded of the incredible risk that they face each day when they report to work.”

In 1976, 330 burial spaces at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens were set aside for fallen heroes and their spouses by John Armiger, Sr. founder of the cemetery. In 1986 John Armiger, Jr. established the tradition of honoring those who have given their lives for the community in the only statewide ceremony for fallen heroes.  In June 2007, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens was purchased by John O. Mitchell III of the family-owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home in Rogers Forge/Towson, MD. The Mitchell family is proud to continue the tradition of Fallen Heroes Day.  Fifty-nine members of the public safety community are buried at the Fallen Heroes Memorial.

Keeping with tradition, Governor Martin O’Malley has issued a proclamation declaring May 1, 2009 Fallen Heroes Day in Maryland and has ordered flags flown at half-staff at the State House and all state facilities. During the service, a replica of the Fallen Heroes Memorial and a resolution from the Maryland General Assembly will be presented to the families of the fallen heroes being honored this year.

The Fallen Heroes Memorial is located within Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 200 East Padonia Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

Here are details on some being remembered:

Continue reading "Honoring fallen heroes" »

Posted by Peter Hermann at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Heroes