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Writer replies to letter: “Remember for whom the siren tolls” Dear Editor: First allow me to say I have never written to an editor before in my life, but cannot let the editorial (Nov. 14: written by Cortley F. Lottman), stand unanswered. His letter suggests that those who took umbrage with the reinstitution of the assault siren in South Amityville, are not appreciative of the remarkable efforts of our volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. Thank God for those people who give of themselves to do that work for all of us. So to say that our neighbors are complaining without any thought is just erroneous. The issue relates to the need for this siren at all. I would suggest that those of you who live more than a few blocks from this device speak to some of the parents in the neighborhood about the shock and upset the siren causes our children. This is not a trivial issue for those with young children or medical conditions. Perhaps Mr. Lottman is unaware that the siren was shut off about eight years ago because of the health risks to the community. It was refurbished and reactivated without notice. Did everyone know that this redundant siren was shut down that long ago without repercussions? Perhaps if the reactivation had been discussed openly, the justification for this action could have been explored and alternatives to this audible assault could have been debated. For example, in the News12 story that aired about how the siren is ruining lives in our area, it was stated that while all volunteers are alerted by a silent signal, that there may be "dead zones where signals have not been reaching. We have to say "may" because no evidence of any delay in response times, lack of an alert being received, or the need for reactivation at all was presented for review and debate. If the issue is truly "dead zones" where a signal wasn't reaching a volunteer, they why not install a relay antenna to eliminate that problem? It is a silent, probably less expensive than the cost to refurbish the siren, and it would have accomplished the same goal. Consider this - Why do you have to post a notice and have public debate to put a fence around your pool when that hurts no one and prevents drowning, but this horrific device is allowed to terrify our kids daily without even one alternative being discussed? Does that make sense to anyone? Isn't it only a matter of time before the first lawsuit will be filed against the Village based upon what you call "sleep deprivation"? If that's all you think is at issue, I would beg of you to speak to the surrounding neighbors with children who have been and continue to be traumatized. Better yet, stand near it when it goes off and ask yourself why this unnecessary "instant trauma machine" was ever turned back on. The issue is why this device was refurbished at all after eight years of peace and quiet without any negative impact. There are obviously other technologies and alert systems that were perfected many years ago that accomplish the same objective. I have friends that tell me their towns don't even have one siren. Imagine that, the peace and quiet we're all looking for when we moved into this community. In his letter Lottman offered to have this device installed atop your house. Very gracious, but we don't want this hurtful device in anyone's backyard, not even his. But, since he offered, and purely in the interest of the children sleeping through the night again, I would ask that he contact the Fire Department to have that request met. We will all contribute whatever it takes to the Fire Department to help cover the costs of the move.
For those of you who volunteer...God Bless you and thank you so much for what you do.
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