Friday, July 6, 2012

Life Is Not All Fun And Games In Hutterite Colonies

I remember this story from a year ago in which 2 Hutterite firefighters died while fighting a coal fire.
From Aberdeen News: Two volunteer firefighters were killed and one was injured during an explosion Thursday at the Sunset Hutterite colony about seven miles northwest of Britton.
 The firefighters, ages 20 and 21, were on top of a building, putting out a coal bin fire, when an explosion blew off the roof and south wall, killing both men, said Dale Elsen, the Marshall County sheriff.
 Authorities have not released the names of the men who died in the blasthttp://www.aberdeennews.com/news/aan-2-dead-after-accident-near-britton-20110915,0,4354095.story
How do we define a life well lived?
On the morning of Sept. 15, two volunteer firefighters, 22-year-old William Waldner and his cousin, 20-year-old Jacob Waldner, were killed by an explosion while extinguishing a coal bin fire at the Hutterite Sunset Colony. Jacob's father, Jack, was also injured in the blast.
Tragedies like this force us to face the fragility of our lives. They remind us that we must live our lives well and make the best use of our time on earth because our end can come suddenly and without warning.
Jacob and William lived their lives well.
Both young men were raised and educated at the Sunset Colony. Jacob worked with his father, serving the colony as assistant electrician. William also was a dedicated worker for his people. Both were members of large, close-knit families.
William and Jacob chose to go well beyond their daily work and family responsibilities to train as certified firefighters. http://www.aberdeennews.com/opinion/aan-4a.10-02-11.ed.alblcolumn-20111002,0,4965606.story
Unlike what is portrayed on the Nat Geo show: American Colony: Meet The Hutterites, life in the Colony can be rough and down right dangerous and deadly.  I never knew that the Hutterites had their own fire department, but apparently the Sunset Colony has one, but that should come as no surprise.  And it should come as no surprise that the Sunset Colony fire department also responds outside the colony and to their neighbors as well.  I know there are Amish firefighters, who do everything a regular firefighter does except drive the fire truck.
So, as the one year anniversary of this tragic accident, so please keep the firefighters, their families and friends in your prayers.

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