Rescue

Alaska, the polar bear who recently died at the Maryland Zoo, is a touching example of how animals can recover from years of deprived living conditions in circuses if given the opportunity (Polar bear euthanized at Maryland zoo," Jan. 16). People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals obtained videotape showing the Suarez Brothers Circus transporting Alaska and six other polar bears in small cages and making them perform in hot, humid regions of Mexico and the Caribbean. The overheated polar bears were panting constantly while being hit and whipped in order to force them to perform ridiculous, degrading tricks.

The political wisdom of today declares that the middle class must be rescued, but it's the lower class that is the most endangered segment of America. The working poor are squeezed between pressure from illegal labor and a stagnant economy. The health of this segment of our citizenry is essential to the restoration and maintenance of our national health. Indeed, history demonstrates that a society dependent upon surrogate labor is a society in decay. Given all the attention paid these days to Civil War anniversaries, the Antebellum South provides an example worth revisiting.

Among the 84 calls for medical and fire-rescue service that the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department received during the period Jan. 6-13 were the following: Circle Drive, 1100 block, 3:29 a.m. Jan. 10. Crews from the Arbutus volunteer station and Halethorpe career station responded to the report of a person having fallen and experiencing seizures in Arbutus. One critically injured person taken to University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Silerton Road, unit block, 12:13 a.m. Jan. 10. Crews from the Lansdowne and Arbutus volunteer stations and Halethorpe career station responded to the report of a person having trouble breathing in Lansdowne.

Before superstorm Sandy pounded the shores of the East Coast, it had already claimed its first American victims. With the storm still a day from landfall, the U.S. Coast Guard received a distress signal from the tall ship Bounty located approximately 90 miles off the cost of North Carolina. Tragically, the ship's captain and one of her crew were claimed by the sea, but a matter of hours later, 14 other sailors were safe on shore. All in a day's work for the service whose motto is semper paratus - always ready.

Among the 84 calls the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department received for medical and fire-rescue service during the period Dec. 30-Jan. 6 were the following: Frederick Road, 6300 block, 11:42 a.m. Jan. 5. Crews from the Arbutus volunteer station and Catonsville, Halethorpe, Westview and Woodlawn career stations responded to the report of a fire in a building in Catonsville. No fire was found, but smoke was cleared from the building. Langford Road, 1600 block, 6:43 a.m. Jan. 5. Crews from the Arbutus volunteer station and Catonsville, Westview and Woodlawn career stations responded to the report of a residential fire in Westview.

Members of the American Legion Towson Post 22 this week honored four local first responders for their service to the county at the post's annual First Responder of the Year Awards. The honors, given at the annual Commander's Christmas Party at the Towson post on Sunday, Dec. 9, highlighted the efforts of first responders whose efforts have made the Towson area a safer place in 2012. Officer Juan Amador of the Towson Precinct was named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for his help in apprehending a man wanted in a shooting in Towson.

Among the 54 calls for medical and fire-rescue service received by the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department during the period Nov. 25 to Dec. 2 were the following: Vero Road, 3900 block, 9:43 a.m. Nov. 30. Crews from the Violetville, Arbutus, English Consul, Lansdowne and Owings Mills volunteer stations and Catonsville, Halethorpe, Randallstown, and Westview career stations responded to the report of a United Parcel Service building fire in...

A woman rescued early Thursday from the water off a pier in Canton has died, police said. Baltimore police responded to a call at 4:48 a.m. with the Marine Unit for a woman in the water near the 2300 block of Boston St. in Canton. It's unclear how she ended up in the water. More details weren't immediately available. ywenger@baltsun.com twitter.com/yvonnewenger

Many of the 108 calls the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department received for medical and fire-rescue service during the period Oct. 28 through Nov. 4 were for electrical and power lines down and basements flooded due to Superstorm Sandy. Among them were the following: Wilkens Avenue, 4100 block, 7:20 a.m. Oct. 31. Crews from the Arbutus volunteer station and Halethorpe career station responded to the report of a motor vehicle accident in Arbutus. Two people with non-life-threatening injuries taken to a local hospital.