Borough to Celebrate 100 Percent RAMP Certification Wednesday

The following is a press release from the West Chester Borough.

West Chester Mayor Carolyn Comitta and the Community Campus Coalition (CCC) are pleased to announce a recognition and press event for the “West Chester 100% RAMP (Responsible Alcohol Management Program) Certification” project.

The Event will be held on Wednesday, May 16th at 7pm, at the start of the West Chester Borough Council Meeting. Each licensed Borough establishment currently RAMP certified will receive a certificate of recognition and appreciation from Mayor Comitta. PLCB Chairman, Joseph E. Brion, will attend along with several members of the PLCB’s Bureau of Alcohol Education along with Pennsylvania Tavern Association, Executive Director, Amy Christie.

RAMP was created by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to help licensees and their employees to serve alcohol responsibly. RAMP offers practical advice for licensees operating restaurants, hotels, clubs, distributors, and special occasion permit holders.

RAMP explains how to:
- Detect signs of impairment and intoxication, and effectively cut off service to a customer who has had too much to drink
- Identify underage individuals, and deter minors from coming into your establishment in the first place
- Detect altered, counterfeit, and borrowed identification
- Avoid unnecessary liability
- Help reduce alcohol-related problems (underage drinking, vehicle crashes, fights, etc) in your community.

The West Chester Campus Community Coalition initiated a 100% RAMP Certification project for the 39 liquor licensed establishments in the Borough in the Spring of 2011. Mayor Comitta reports, “The WC 100% RAMP Certification Project is a unique and ambitious collaboration of the West Chester Community Campus Coalition, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, West Chester Communities That Care and the West Chester Restaurant Association. We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our people safe, and alcohol education is an important component of our community action plan.”

The Community Campus Coalition (CCC) was jointly formed by West Chester Borough Council and the West Chester University President and Cabinet in 2008. The mission of the CCC is to reduce alcohol-related incidents in the Borough and is co-chaired by the Mayor and WCU Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Matthew Bricketto. West Chester Communities That Care (WCCTC) shares a similar mission for middle and high school students. WCCTC Executive Director, Pam Warfield, joined together with the CCC in this project, donating funds to provide RAMP training over 120 server/sellers over the last 9 months.

For almost a year, members of this unique collaboration have worked together to identify and contact those liquor license establishments which are not RAMP certified, to provide the required RAMP education classes, and to encourage establishments to follow through to complete the 5 requirements for RAMP Certification.

PLCB Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Jerry Waters, Sr., wrote in a Fall 2011 letter to Mayor Comitta, “Your commitment to achieving 100% compliance with the PLCB’s Responsible Alcohol Management Program (RAMP) is remarkable. We certainly know this is not an easy task and will do our best to support your efforts and the efforts of licensed establishments in your community…You have the unique ability to set precedence and serve as a role model for other communities throughout the commonwealth. Your leadership and vested interest in responsible business practices will help protect the health and safety of customers, staff and the community while reducing the risk of abuse and penalties for licensees and their staff.”

For additional information on RAMP: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=612015&mode=2