A total of 53 employees from seven liquor licensees were trained during the period of January, 2010 through June, 2010 in conjunction with a program offered by C-COMPASS which subsidized a portion of the cost of the Responsible Alcohol Management Program (RAMP) Server/Seller trainings.  This program was funded through a grant from the Northwest Regional Highway Safety Office of the Erie County Health Department. 

Attendees of the trainings indicated in surveys that they would be able to apply the knowledge learned from the sessions immediately and that the training helped improve their sense of Server/Seller responsibility.  The most useful topics mentioned were carding for fake ID’s, liability, PA Laws vs. House Rules, and handling minors.

Congratulations to the following establishments for their participation in this program:

 Andy’s Ale House & Grill

 Erie Port Authority - Eight Great Tuesdays

 Molly Brannigan’s

 Scott Enterprises

 Sherlock’s Park Place 

 Sluggers Sports Bar & Grill

 The Brewerie

Although additional funding through this program is not available at this time,  C-COMPASS encourages all liquor licensees to continue to participate in this important program which will assist them in working with their employees to serve alcohol responsibily and protect themselves and their businesses.

For more information regarding RAMP, go to:

 http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=612017&mode=2

We Don’t Serve Teens, a new national campaign to reduce underage drinking, is focusing on the social sources that may provide teens with access to alcohol. The campaign’s centerpiece is www.DontServeTeens.gov, a website sponsored by a coalition of public and private sector organizations, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency.

Most teens who drink get alcohol from social sources: parents of other teens, older siblings, and other relatives and friends. People who provide alcohol to teens not only undermine the efforts of parents to protect their kids, they also break the law. The legal drinking age in the United States is 21. Studies show that adults strongly support this law a recent national survey showed that most parents said the drinking age should remain 21 or be raised. But parents need help to make sure their teens don’t have access to alcohol. The message to neighbors, relatives and friends is “Don’t serve alcohol to teens.” said Gannon C-COMPASS representative, Julie Srnka. “It’s unsafe. It’s illegal. It’s irresponsible.”

Srnka added, “The age when drinking starts affects future drinking problems. For each year that the start of drinking is delayed, the risk of later alcohol dependence is reduced by 14 percent.”

The FTC prepared and maintains www.DontServeTeens.gov. Other organizations providing assistance in disseminating program materials are: the U.S. Department of Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, the Century Council, Students Against Destructive Decisions, the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association, the Responsible Retailing Forum, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc., the National Consumers League, and the American Beverage Licensees.

For more information on stopping teens’ easy access to alcohol, practical tips on talking to kids about alcohol and alcohol advertising, and what to say to friends and neighbors about serving alcohol to teens, visit www.DontServeTeens.gov.