Readers' Forum

When I see a fire engine with its lights flashing and sirens blaring responding to a call, I immediately say a little prayer for the safety of the crew on board, which is exactly what I did Sunday, March 30. When I saw the smoke billowing into the sky as we crossed the Route 50 bridge, I said, “Oh my God!” and when I saw the flames shooting out of the second story, I thought thank goodness the firemen are here!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to both the OCVFC and the OC Career Fire EMS for their lightning-quick response and dedication in fighting a potentially devastating fire this past Sunday on the Boardwalk. With the assistance of numerous neighboring companies, including Berlin, Ocean Pines, Newark, Snow Hill, Pocomoke, Selbyville, Roxanna, Bethany, Georgetown, Salisbury (and I’m sure others I have forgotten), the fire was contained and an entire block of Boardwalk was not lost. 

It proves that in the heat of action, all good men and women work together for the good of all! Thank you so much for your combined efforts to contain and terminate what could very well have been a much more devastating fire. Due to your collective efforts, a huge area of the historic downtown Boardwalk area was saved!

Within 24 hours, two traffic accidents taking four lives — two mothers and two children.

This takes me back a few years, when I was chairman of the safety committee at the Kaiser Aluminum Co. in Halethrope, Md. The safety coordinator for the company visited and one phrase he used that sticks in my mind today was, “Accidents do not happen but are caused.”

Here, two mothers used poor judgment or erred in crossing the busy highway, snuffing out their lives and the two children. One will never know what was going on in their minds. In a hurry, or the automobiles will stop for them because …?

That takes me to another incident, not auto but an accident in which a crane fell off a building, killing one person because the crane was not inspected properly.

Automobile accidents happen often. Because of drivers or pedestrians not paying attention, on a cell phone or just plain taking a chance.

My feelings go out to the two drivers. It will be with them the rest of their lives. Prayers.

As chairperson of MDA’s Shamrocks Against Dystrophy, I want to take a moment to thank businesses and patrons in the Ocean City area for their generous participation in our 2008 campaign. I’m delighted to say that this year’s fundraising efforts were a great success.

Those little green and gold Shamrocks mobiles sold by local businesses help support MDA’s vital programs of research, health care services and public education right here in Ocean City and across the country.

On behalf of all the individuals and families coping with muscle-wasting diseases, I send a big warm “thank you” to Ocean City residents — you’ve certainly put a smile in these Irish eyes!

I have been keeping up with the rift between the Ocean City manager and the Volunteer Fire Company and cannot keep quiet any longer.

I am a property owner in Ocean City and a volunteer firefighter in Virginia. I am a member of a combination company (career and volunteer). I have seen a move to get rid of volunteers before, but not to the extent that Mr. Dennis Dare is proposing for Ocean City. Doesn’t he realize that by abolishing the volunteer fire company, replacing them with only paid firefighters, [that] this is subjecting the citizens of Ocean City to a tremendous expense that is unnecessary and wasteful? There is always a need for volunteer firefighters. Volunteers provide a valuable service, and guess what?  It is free! Volunteers are just what the term implies, volunteers!

I doubt that the citizens of Ocean City realize what this means in terms of additional tax dollars. It will cost many millions of dollars for salaries and benefits for a paid staff — an expense you don’t have with volunteers. The Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company has served the citizens of Ocean City very well for a very long time and it seems ludicrous to me to change all that now just because Mr. Dare either doesn’t understand how a volunteer fire company works or just plain doesn’t care about the citizens of Ocean City. 

If it isn’t broken, why fix it?

Self-injury (usually abbreviated SI) is known by many names. These names include self-harm, self mutilation, self inflicted violence, and much more commonly, cutting. SI Awareness Day is March 1 and I would like to take this opportunity to talk about an issue that is difficult for people to understand and discuss.

SI is becoming all too common. A recent statistic suggests that as many as one in 25 people have at some point physically harmed themselves on purpose. SI is the act of physically harming one’s body to gain a sense of emotional relief. Contrary to popular belief, SI is not an attention seeking tactic used by silly teenage girls. Most people who SI are not seeking attention of any kind and go to desperate lengths to hide their injuries from the people around them. SI can affect anyone in any age bracket, race, gender or socio-economic standing.

It doesn’t matter whether a person is male or female, white or black, rich or poor, old or young. People who SI are not all psychotics and it should not be viewed simply as a failed suicide attempt. While some self-injurers are suicidal, not all are. SI is a coping mechanism used to deal with overwhelming emotions that can not otherwise be safely expressed. This may be because self-injuries often lack the ability to verbally express their feelings or because they live in an environment where it is not acceptable to do so.

SI is a very serious and a real problem facing society today. If someone comes to you and reveals himself as a self-injurer or you discover that someone you know self-injures, would you know what to do? Don’t react with anger or disgust. Self-injurers generally need support from those around them, not condemnation. Don’t try to blackmail them or make them feel guilty for what they’re doing. Punishment and forced hospitalizations are very unhelpful and can make the self-injurer even more secretive about his behavior and more reluctant to seek help from another person.

Instead, offer the person a listening ear and (when he or she is ready) assist the self-injurer in finding the help they need (that could mean a ride to the hospital for stitches or helping to find a good therapist). Talk with the self-injurer about the SI and be supportive. Another great source of support for people with SI is Recoveryourlife.com, a community of self-injurers who gather together to support one another.

To any self-injurer I say this: Don’t suffer in silence anymore. There is someone in your life who will help you and support you. You deserve so much better than SI. Break the silence.

Support the self-injurers in your life (surely there is more than one) by wearing orange on March 1, Self injury Awareness Day, or by wearing orange and white if you currently SI or are recovered from SI. Break the silence and confront SI. For more information or support check out Recoveryourlife.com or e-mail me at SelfInjuryAwareness@Yahoo.com.

The following letter was forwarded to Ocean City Today for publication.

Dear fellow Council members,

In my 20 plus years as a council member I don’t believe I have ever written a letter to the newspaper. Today I am writing to urge you, my fellow council members, to reconsider your vote on Tuesday, which has caused tremendous ill will and hurt feelings among our volunteer firefighters.

We were faced with a simple request from the fire chief to allow him full control over all fire/EMS personnel until a paid chief could be found. His concern for the safety of the firefighters, paramedics, EMT personnel and the citizens came from the fact that since the town hired an emergency services directory there have been conflicts with our staff as to who is in charge.

I considered this a fair request and voted accordingly.

Unfortunately for the volunteers, the vote did not pass and today we have received a letter from the volunteers that they will make arrangements to move out of our city, surrender to the wishes of the council, and, when the city is able, no longer provide these free services to the town.

We are, in essence, losing over 100 years of experience, dedication and professionalism second to none. It is not just the fires these dedicated volunteers get out of bed for, but the medical emergencies, accidents, flooding, gas leaks, hurricanes snow storms and on and on. These folks leave their families and lives at home to protect us, the citizens of Ocean City.

Please, we have already broken the spirit of these incredible public safety volunteers. Don’t let them leave our city.

Come back Monday night and join in with the community to thank those volunteers in service to the town and vote to accept their recommendation and support the volunteer chief.

I am pleading with you for your reconsideration to this emergency matter.

It hardly seems as though 20 years have passed since so many animal carers have tended stray cats, opossums, raccoons, foxes, small birdlife and even a trio of vultures right here in Ocean City, pretty much behind Ocean Plaza Mall, on both town and DNR land.

But, alas, all things end, and we all know that.

Many locals, and visitors, will remember the animal feeding area at the end of 99th Street and the bay. As well as all the kitties and cats dropped off by so many undeclared owners.

At one time, in the mid-80s, there were at least 25 stray cats, who were attended to and spayed or neutered, all pro bono and with town help. And released back into the forested area at the end of 99th Street on the bay and close-by wetlands. We even had shelters built for them long, long ago and some still remain. Fallen trees in storms past now inhibit movement by us humans in these areas. At the present time, we have but one gray adult male cat remaining and are taking measures to find him a home. His mate died only recently.

One cannot thank enough all those who came by with all kinds of animal food and assistance over so many years.

Some names are even forgotten. Perhaps they had in their very souls the love of animals that Thoreau had. To them all, the long, and the short, and the tall, those of us who remain, thank them wholeheartedly.

And the litters of kittens often dropped off surreptitiously under the dumpster have found homes with caring OC residents.

But, alas, all ends. On or about May 1, our activity at the sanctuary will end. The last two animal carers wanted to be sure all the folks in Ocean City were so advised. Like all moves of this type, it is done with sadness, yet reality.

And who can ever forget the endless service of our very own Nancy Donaldson, who was always there no matter what? We do thank so many others who did their very, very best to help our ferals and wild animals over the past two decades.

We are the Wheatleys, and today my family would like to take some of your time and space up to help us thank so many local MVP’s (MVF’s) who really stepped up and helped my brother, Ed Wheatley.

On Feb. 4, the day after the Super Bowl, hundreds of friends and strangers gathered at Coins Pub for the “Everybody Loves Ed” fundraiser. This event was a great success not only in raising some much-needed funds for Ed’s medical care, but [in raising] his spirit as well. Ed and my family were touched by this outpouring of love and support in my family’s darkest hour.

While we have been a part of this community for a long time, it is always scary to ask for help. Event organizers handled everything, and local businesses donated numerous items on Ed’s behalf. There were so many of you who gave time, money, auction items and effort that we wish we could get you all the publicity you deserve.

The Wheatleys would love to give each and every one your own Most Valuable Player (Friend) award like they do after the Super Bowl, but the fact is, it would be a team award since there are so many to thank for your help. Throughout Ed’s gallant fight, the local community has stepped up and given support both spiritually and financially.

The term “community” is often a lost term in today’s society, but in Ocean City on Feb. 4, Ed and the Wheatleys were given the greatest gift they could have ever received — friendship.

My brother’s favorite movies have always been “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Forrest Gump.” On the fourth, we recreated the scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where George’s brother comes to the rescue at the end of the movie and says the toast, “To my big brother, the richest man in town.” Then we quoted Clarence the guardian angel, who said, “Remember, Ed, no man is a failure who has so many friends.”

Well, to put it mildly, Ed was truly touched. In this ugliness that is cancer it was a beautiful thing to see what you all did for us. Again, for all of you “Clarences” (Ed’s guardian angels) and MVP’s (MVF’s) out there and everything you did to make the Everybody Loves Ed fundraiser a success.

We will never forget this. God bless you and yours. Ed and my family truly are the richest people in the world with friends like you all. You are all Most Valuable Friends.

Remember from the movie, “Teacher says when a bell rings an angel gets its wings.” The bells were ringing in Ocean City on Feb. 4.

To leave Ed a message, visit his Web site at www.CarePages.com and visit his page EverybodyLovesEddie.

For anyone who missed the Feb. 4 fundraiser, you can still help by sending your donation to Everybody Loves Ed Fund c/o Ed Wheatley, P.O. Box 1092, Ocean City, Md. 21843. Or, if you prefer, drop it off at any Local Taylor Bank Branch.

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, my son and I and my granddaughter (Megan Smith, a 10th-grader at SDHS) were leaving Wal-Mart in Berlin, when Megan saw a handbag left in a cart. She did not hesitate for one second and took it inside to the customer service.

I just want to say that all teenagers are not bad; there are still many good ones around.

I hope the lady does not leave her handbag again. You don’t know who would find it.

This letter is written to point out some of the unfair labor practices in Ocean City. Some, not all, businesses in Ocean City could care less about their employees. I am going to give two examples of unfair or possibly illegal labor practices.

The first is a major restaurant in Ocean City. Several summer ago, I got to know one of its employees. She was a student from Romania. She was working here for the summer and then returning to Romania to complete her education. She told me the restaurant she worked at had three different pay scales.

The first pay scale was for United States citizens, the second group was the legal foreign workers (the type that she fell in) and the third group was the illegal workers.

Many of the foreign workers, both legal and illegal, are from the parts of the world where they do not trust the government for whatever reason and do not know how to address this problem. They do not complain because of the lack of trust toward the government. They think all governments are like their government back in their home [country].

The second example of an unfair labor practice deals with an American worker. This person had worked for a business in Ocean City for more than 20 years. During this period of time, the worker gained more and more responsibility. Basically, the worker was doing not only the worker’s job, but also the job of the store manager of the business.

During the 20-plus years this worker was employed at this business, [the employee worked the] night shift. During that time, the worker had to deal with hundreds, if not thousands, of drunken customers. This employee showed up for work during hurricanes, winter storms and other bad weather.

Also, in the 20-plus years, this employee also was the victim of an armed robbery at the store. But during the 20-plus years, the employee continued to work the night shift and also handled the duties of the store manager.

The store also had a store manager, but when she attempted to handle both responsibilities, she was overwhelmed and could not handle both positions.

So this past spring, the worker got ill and missed several weeks of work. When the worker attempted to come back to work, the store manager would not talk to the worker or answer any of the several letters that the worker sent to the store manager about coming back to work. The store manager replaced the employee with illegal foreign workers.

Of all the employees at the store, there is only one or maybe two that can work in this country legally. The store manager knows these people are illegal but the manager does not care because the government will not and cannot do anything about the illegal workers in Ocean City.

This is only two examples of unfair labor practice, but no doubt there are many more — not just in Ocean City, but everywhere.