25th Valor Awards in Cinnaminson Friday Night

The families of two Moorestown police officers will receive $2,500 scholarships during the 200 Club of Burlington County’s 25th annual Valor Awards dinner in Cinnaminson Friday night.

The dinner takes place at Merion Caterers on Route 130. The reception begins at 6 p.m. Dinner begins at 7:30 p.m.

The families of John Engleman and Kristen Mullen will each receive a $2,500 scholarship to offset the cost of college.

The scholarships are presented to family members of Burlington County police officers, County detectives, troopers, firefighters, or EMS personnel.

The other scholarships will go to the families of Bryanne Fugh, of Burlington, and Daniel Grace, of Maple Shade.

The Moorestown Police Department will receive one of five Advanced Training Awards to fund training for their personnel. The department will split over $6,500 with the Medford Lakes Police Department, the Evesham Township Fire District No 1, the Mount Laurel Emergency Medical Services and the Evesham Township Police Department.

The Advanced Training Awards are presented to departments and agencies for the purpose of funding advanced public safety training programs which enhance the individual’s ability to perform their duties or conduct the training necessary to improve other members’ capabilities.

It is among four awards that local law enforcement will receive.

Moorestown Police Det. Richard Naff will receive the Meritorious Service Award for his overall investigative skills that were instrumental in the identification, arrest and prosecutions of individuals involved in numerous burglaries in Burlington and Camden Counties.

Naff networked with area police departments and coordinated with Detectives from Medford, Voorhees, Haddonfield, Evesham and County agencies resulting in the arrests of several individuals responsible for these high-end burglaries that had resulted in losses of approximately two million dollars to the victims of these crimes.

Other recipients of this award will include Evesham Police Officer Anthony Padulese and Riverside Police Officers Timothy Marano and Amaya Urtasun.

Padulese will be recognized for his actions on June 27, 2014 after responding to a call to check on the well being of a resident.

Padulese’s extraordinary actions and efforts to establish contact with the resident resulted in his climbing to the second story of the home and locating the victim who had fallen in a bathtub and remained trapped in the bathtub for nine hours.

Marano and Urtasun will be recognized for their life saving actions at the scene of a house fire on Oct. 29, 2014.

The officers arrived on location and found the residence fully engulfed in flames and two victims trapped on the second story of the home.

The officers located a ladder from a neighboring residence and placed it up against the home. With disregard for their own safety, climbed to the second story and guided the victims to the ground below, saving the residents’ lives.

The Meritorious Service Awards are awarded for service rendered when an individual, with diligence and perseverance, conspicuously performs their duty, above and beyond the call of duty.

Examples include the prevention of crime, protection of life and/or property, the apprehension of criminals, or other deeds which reflect credit upon the individual and the agency he or she represents.

Former Delran Fire Chief Horace E. McCurdy will receive the Distinguished Service Award for his decades of dedicated service to the Fire Company and citizens of Delran Township.

McCurdy joined the Delran Fire Company No 1 in 1945 when he joined the agency as a junior firefighter and rose through the ranks to chief of the department in 1959. He continued with the department until the age of 75.

McCurdy will be recognized for his years of providing leadership and expert experience resulting in the betterment to this agency and enhancing the overall safety of the residents of Delran.

The Distinguished Service Award is awarded to an individual that has dedicated years of unqualified giving and service to the betterment of their community, department and profession.

The capstone of the evening will be the presentation of the 2015 Honor Valor Awards. The recipients of these awards include Sgt. John Fine, of the Burlington City Police Department, for his bravery on Sept. 17, 2012 during his successful apprehension of a male who fled from other officers at the scene of a burglary.

The suspect engaged Fine in a violent attack where the suspect fired a handgun and attempted to take the officers life. Fine was able to maintain his hold and returned fire, killing the suspect.

Lt. Matthew Hempel, of the Evesham Township Fire Company No. 1, will be recognized for his actions on April 4, 2014. Hempel was driving in Lumberton Township en route to a teaching engagement at the County Fire Academy in Westhampton.

While travelling on Route 38, Hemple observed smoke coming from the Travel Inn Motel.

Hempel notified Central Communications of the fire and began evacuating the residents of the motel. While in the process of evacuation he learned of an individual trapped inside one of the rooms.

After several attempts to enter the room, he was successful in locating and removing that individual and providing first aid until paramedics arrived. Sadly, the victim did not survive from his injuries, but many were saved as a result of Hempel’s bravery and actions at the scene.

The Honor Valor Awards are awarded for an act or deed of personal bravery involving risk to the individuals own life, above and beyond the performance of duty.

The 200 Club of Burlington County is non-profit charity organization made up of volunteers whose primary mission is to provide financial assistance to the families of fallen or injured members of the State Police, County and Municipal Police, Fire or Emergency Medical Services serving the citizens of Burlington County.