My mother, sister and I would like to take a moment to praise the hard work, kindness, compassion, and concern of the Oakland Fire Department.

Over the past six weeks, my dad battled a new and aggressive cancer. As his health declined, and we were waiting for a stairlift to be installed, the wonderful staff at the fire station became our heroes. With no way to get my father down the two flights of stairs to attend necessary daily appointments, we called for help. Oakland Fire responded with concern, kindness, and extreme gentleness to help us reach our appointments. With my dad’s rapid decline came more falls and an increased need for more assistance. Without hesitation, the Oakland Fire Department came and kindly greeted my dad with a friendly hello.

Once we had the stairlift installed, we didn’t need to rely so heavily on these brave people. We are sad to report that my dad lost his short but mighty battle with cancer on Dec. 30.

We are so thankful for each and every person at the department who helped get my dad up and down the stairs and responded to all the falls- including the Delta ambulance teams.

My sister and I are from different states and have never heard of this level of service as the one the Oakland Fire Department supplied. We are so thankful and humbled by the brave, kind, and selfless help they gave. We wouldn’t have made it through this extremely difficult time without them!

With extreme gratitude,

Jill Putnam

Helena, Montana

Ellen Shuler

Thiensville, Wisconsin