The South Orangetown Central School District presented certificates of appreciation to 11 Tappan Zee High School students, all volunteer firefighters, for their part in containing and putting out the massive brush fire fire on Clausland Mountain in November. The students are part of three local fire departments, Orangeburg, Blauvelt and Sparkill. Department Chiefs Neil Lynady of Orangeburg, Chris Conklin of Blauvelt and Michael Yannazzone, Jr. of Sparkill participated in the ceremony, which was part of the SOCSD Board of Education meeting Dec. 19 in South Orangetown Middle School. The students recognized were as follows, listed with their fire department:

Orangeburg -- Matt Byrne, Kenny Gordon, Brian Kearney, Conor Lynady, Chris Oettinger and Anthony Ricci

Blauvelt -- Bailey Domenick and Celene Stewart

Sparkill -- Bailey Domenick and Celene Stewart

Two days earlier, the Town of Orangetown also honored local firefighters for their efforts on Clausland Mountain, which required manpower from all over Rockland County and beyond and took over a week before the stubborn blaze was finally completely extinguished."The neighbors on Tweed (Boulevard) really encouraged us. I worked with them to put together the recognition and they were so appreciative, as we all were," Orangetown Supervisor Andy Stewart said. "All of the fire departments coordinated and put it out over what was really a nine-day period. There were flare-ups (after it was contained). It's a great accomplishment. It showed a lot of teamwork."The Rockland County Legislature Safety Committee has also recognized emergency responders for the way they handled the fire, which caused only minor injuries and did not damage any homes or businesses. For more on the work involved, read this report on Patch.