The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Training encourages safe serving practices
Bartenders and servers piled into the Avon Brewing Company recently for special alcohol server knowledge.
Bartenders and servers from around Lorain County piled into the Avon Brewing Company recently for special alcohol server knowledge, or ASK, training session.
The two sessions on Sept. 25, one in the morning and one in the evening, were held by a partnership of the Lorain County General Health District, Communities That Care of Lorain County, the Safe Community Coalition and the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Lorain County.
Training consisted of a talk from an agent of the Ohio Investigative Unit. The morning session was led by Officer Kevin Piazza who led the assembled suds providers with a law enforcement perspective on the dos and don’ts of selling alcohol and what the legal ramifications of overserving are.
“I’m begging you guys, without getting on my knees, please do not let your patrons get drunk,” Piazza said to the assembled. “Something in your head has to say, ‘Look that was too much.’ Because if they go out there and they kill somebody you have a nightmare waiting for you that you may not recover from.”
Tim Williams, a Lorain City School Board member who works with the Communities That Care, said the group generally tries to hold these sorts of trainings about once a year, but in recent years they’ve not been holding them due to low attendance.
Williams said the Avon Brewing Company wanted to host this session, and reached out to their colleagues in the industry to ensure a robust showing. Workers from about 24 organizations registered for the session.
“This is to provide the training and the knowledge so that folks can do the right thing,” Williams said. “Most people are not negligent by choice; oftentimes they lack a certain amount of information.”
According to Williams, the Ohio Investigative Unit has been making compliance checks on local business in the area.
He said the most recent check was in Amherst on Sept. 22. Of the 15 businesses checked, only one was found to be violating the law and representatives of that business were attending the morning session.
The previous weekend, a check of nine businesses in
Avon Lake turned up two violations, Williams said.
“It’s to try and create a safer community,” Williams said.
Kat Solove, of the Safe Communities Coalition, highlighted the need for this kind of training to cut down on the number of fatal crashes involving alcohol in the county.
“We’ve had nine fatal crashes this year that are related to alcohol,” she said. “I think a data point to look at going forward is to look at how man fatal crashes related to alcohol, how many conflicts related to alcohol.
“As we get more establishments more educated (and) more resources out there you’ll see that (number drop),” she said.
“Something in your head has to say, ‘Look that was too much.’ Because if they go out there and they kill somebody you have a nightmare waiting for you that you may not recover from.” — Officer Kevin Piazza