Retired New York City Fire Department Battalion Cmdr. Jack Oehm urged students to study history so the U.S. can learn from its mistakes. Oehm, whose battalion lost 20 firefighters on Sept. 11, 2001, held students spellbound as he gave a history lesson from firsthand experience.

Thanks to his alert teenage son, UMass Lowell Police Officer Brian Ethier helped rescue eight neighbors — including five children — from their burning home in Tyngsboro, Mass.

Sgt. Mike Soucy, who recently received the statewide Sean Collier Award for Innovations in Community Oriented Policing, was among several UMass Lowell Police Department officers recognized at a breakfast celebrating the successful strides the department has made over the past decade.

University Police Lt. Melissa Mullen was appointed to a 16-member statewide task force to examine ways to improve safety and security for large venues such as sports stadiums and concert halls.