Rescue

A juvenile Cooper's hawk with a broken wing was running along the fences backing to Windstream Drive on March 5. I made several unsuccessful attempts to rescue the youngster with the help of some neighbors I had never met and a close friend. It was very cold and getting dark but I was determined to save this beautiful bird from certain death. In desperation I hesitantly called 911, fearful of being accused of (and possibly fined for) inappropriately calling. I was surprised and elated when the woman who answered kindly offered to call Animal Control directly since they were closed.

More than 70 police and rescue workers spent a windy, frigid Tuesday morning combing a Pasadena park for three missing people during a mock search and rescue drill. Run by the Anne Arundel County Police Department, this was the annual full-blown exercise to practice emergency management, search-rescue and communications. It included other county agencies, including Maryland State and Natural Resources Police, along with tracking dogs. The goal was to find and rescue three adults with dementia who'd disappeared from their walk in the park with their day care facility caregiver.

A 46-year-old construction worker trapped for more than three hours in a ditch that collapsed yesterday on the grounds of the St. Paul's School in Brooklandville was in serious condition today.William Brennman, a worker for Kinsley Construction of York, Pa., was trapped to his waist in dirt in a six-foot deep ditch from 10:35 a.m. until about 2 p.m. Firefighters stabilized the sides and dug him free.Brennman was taken by ambulance to the Shock-Trauma Unit in Baltimore where he was listed in serious condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

For county fire and rescue officials, the timing of the promise of a new 800-megahertz communication system couldn't have been better.Coming on the heels of two of Carroll County's largest emergency response incidents -- a four-alarm fire Dec. 5 in Manchester and the Jan. 19 natural gas explosion that leveled part of a Westminster neighborhood -- authorities are all too aware of the shortcomings of an antiquated system, part of which was installed in...

Large mounds of dirty snow looming on the fringes of school and shopping center parking lots are testament to the worst winter in recent memory. In Maryland winters past, most snow that fell in January and February had melted by the second week of March. Any snowfall in mid-March typically would melt within days, if not hours, after hitting the ground. This year, the snow and ice are still hanging around like houseguests overstaying their welcome.Thanks to these dingy piles of snow, we still wander around with winter on our minds even though spring is officially but a week away.

Days End Farm Horse Rescue, a nonprofit, volunteer animal welfare organization, is the 2005 recipient of the American Association of Equine Practitioners equine welfare award, the Lavin Cup. Named for veterinarian Dr. A. Gary Lavin, the award is presented to a non-veterinarian or an organization that has demonstrated exceptional compassion toward horses or developed and enforced guidelines for their welfare. Days End Farm won the award for its work in rescue and rehabilitation, education, community outreach and animal disaster recovery.

WASHINGTON -The Obama administration has enough money left for its economic initiatives with $110 billion remaining in the federal financial rescue fund and $25 billion more coming this year as some banks return bailout money, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Tuesday. Geithner disclosed the new numbers as he defended the administration's bailout efforts in the face of tough questioning from a panel overseeing the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. In his first appearance before the panel, Geithner said federal funding has helped stimulate consumer and business lending, but more work was needed to revive an economy mired in recession.

It could not have been a more memorable proposal. A man took his girlfriend hiking Sunday afternoon on the gorgeous - albeit rocky and rough - Billy Goat Trail near Great Falls in Montgomery County. At some point, he popped the question. She said yes. As they continued their walk, the woman apparently slipped, fell down a rock face and was injured. Unable to easily reach her any other way, emergency responders had to use a U.S. Park Police helicopter to pluck her off the path. Authorities said the woman, who briefly lost consciousness, suffered bumps and bruises and injuries to her head and chest, but her injuries were not life-threatening.

Carroll County firefighters rescued two hikers stuck on an ice-covered hillside in the McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park yesterday, said Sgt. Bill Rehkopf of the Sykesville Freedom District Fire Department. The two men in their mid-40s had been hiking on a trail that runs along the river. As they encountered icy conditions, the men worried that they would slip on the sloped ice and fall into the river, Rehkopf said. The men climbed up the steep hillside to the parking lot by grabbing onto trees.

Three units of county fire and rescue workers were honored last week in a "Gift of Life" ceremony for their efforts in emergency lifesaving calls since September.The awards, given since 1986, usually are presented shortly after firefighters save a life.The most recent incident occurred Dec. 8, when Ronald J. Schrader, 49, of North Laurel experienced chest pains about 9:30 p.m.Schrader tried to ignore the pain, but finally called 911 about midnight. Shortly after rescue workers arrived, Schrader went into cardiac arrest.