At the February 22nd council meeting the members of the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department and Oakland Police department were presented with awards for two life savings events that took place towards the end of 2016.

The first award for Meritorious Service was presented for the following event:

On the evening of November 28th, 2016, the Oakland Police and Oakland Volunteer Fire Department were called for assistance locating a young autistic male adult who had wandered from his home in Wanaque hours earlier. The boy was lost in the Ramapo Mountains and with the air temperature in the 30's it was critical to find the boy quickly. Sargent Tim Keenan was able to spot a light from the person’s cell phone which directed him and the firefighters deep into the woods. Within an hour's time, due to a tremendous team effort, the boy was located, uninjured, barefoot and wearing a t-shirt. He was given a pair of boots by the fire department and walked out of the woods. He was transported to the hospital to be checked out and was fine. The following personal were instrumental in bringing the boy to safety:

Oakland Police
Sargent Tim Keenan

Oakland Fire Department
Chief Curt LeRoy
Assistant Chief Vinnie Dies
Assistant Chief Dave Hutsebaut
Firefighter Dan D'Elia
Firefighter Matt Sorce
Ex-Chief Robert Knapp

The second award was a Unit Citation award and was presented for the following event:

On the evening of December 1, 2016, the Oakland Fire Department was called for assistance pertaining to a woman attempting suicide on the Route 287 Bridge in Wanaque. Upon arrival, the woman was on the outside of the fence, midway on the span. Due to a well-coordinated team effort, these members were able to help keep the woman calm, cut a hole in the fence, put a safety strap around her and remove her from the outside of the fence onto the highway. The following personal were instrumental in bringing the woman to safety:

Chief Curt LeRoy
Assistant Chief Vinnie Dies
Assistant Chief Dave Hutsebaut
Lieutenant Lewis Thurston
Lieutenant Tyler LeRoy

Firefighters:
Don Johnston
Carlos Henriques
Mike Curran
Cesar Arredondo
Larry Baills
Joshua Berrian
Josh Horn
Pete Pfeiffer
Sean Torpey
Tim Trainor
Matt Sorce
Russ Stammer
Makenzie Vulgaris