By Aaron Gifford
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York)
Copyright 2007 Post-Standard
All Rights Reserved
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Madison County emergency workers are still brainstorming ways to provide an emergency communications system to Georgetown’s new Amish community after a schoolhouse fire last week and a July accident that killed a 10-year-old boy.
Dan Skramko, Georgetown fire commissioner and a neighbor of several Amish families in the Lebanon Road community, said the fire department had suggested installing a roadside phone in front of one of the Amish farms for emergency use. But questions came up as to who would pay for it and how it would be protected from theft and vandalism.
“Plus,” he said, “I’m not sure they want it.”
Last week, fire damaged an Amish schoolhouse near Lebanon and Maxon roads after a pipe from its wood stove ignited combustible material in the walls. A teacher filled containers of water from the sink and extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived.
Georgetown Fire Capt. Matt VanHeusen said help was called after a “relay” in which a student ran to a nearby Amish farm, and someone then ran to the home of a non-Amish neighbor, who called 911.
As a religious principle, the Old Order Amish don’t own phones, and they consider televisions, computers and modern tractors to be tempting elements from an “outside world” that could lead them away from their close-knit community or weaken the family structure.
Skramko said firefighters did arrive at the scene within a few minutes after the call. “The response,” he said, “was pretty near amazing.”
Communication with Madison County’s 911 was also a problem July 18, when Daniel Schlabach died after being dragged 400 feet by a horse. Family members had to ask a neighbor to call 911.
After the accident, however, authorities stressed that the farm’s remote location and the severity of the boy’s internal injuries would have prevented rescuers from saving his life even if relatives had called for help.
Still, they’ve stressed that a better system is needed to alert authorities in a hurry. Madison County Undersheriff Doug Bailey said he hopes to meet with representatives of the Amish community in the coming weeks to discuss ideas.
“We haven’t really connected with them yet,” he said. “The fire has brought this back on the page.”
According to neighbors, the Schlabachs and seven other Amish families moved to Georgetown farms from the Southern Tier and Pennsylvania in May, and five more families arrived there later in the year. Skramko said most of the families have several children, and he estimates that the largest family has 19 members. The families have established organic dairy farms and have had several barn raisings. The school opened in the fall, Skramko said.
Georgetown has taken steps to protect the Amish from motor vehicle accidents. Several signs indicating the use of horse and buggies have been installed around town, and the local fire department is careful not to flash lights or activate sirens when buggies are nearby so the horses won’t be startled, Skramko said.