I know a young man who just joined the local volunteer fire department. So far, he’s passed a test and been scrutinized and he actually got to ride along on a call the other night.
“Did you hold the fire hose or anything,” we asked. What a silly question. If my house ever catches on fire, I want to know that the men who come have been trained well for the job. The same goes for EMT’s and nurses and doctors. No flunky’s or 2.5 pt averages for me, thank you. It’s just as important for the electrician and the auto mechanic to know what they are doing. Nearly every job has some element of risk-prevention involved.
Well, you might not think that a bartender or waitress is in a particularly important position in this regard, and certainly it’s not as critical as a surgeon’s training. But if a bartender lets an inebriated customer out onto the road, more people might die that night than would in the operating room.
This is why there is legislation pending here in our state that would require mandatory state-certified training for workers at bars, restaurants, grocery stores and other such businesses. Omaha Senator Steve Lathrop announced on Tuesday October 11, 2011 that he will push for this law which will hold bars and taverns liable for drunken patrons who later cause accidents.
But some see this as placing an unfair burden on the bar and tavern owners. And what does one do regarding “bar-hopping” where one never knows how much a person may have drunk before he arrives at your location?
There are several possibilities as to what the actual wording for the bill will be, as it will probably be presented early in 2012. But the training and follow-up test that will help servers to spot fake ID’s from underage customers and notice when patrons are already intoxicated will be a part of it. This training is usually between two and four hours in length.
Senator Lathrop says, "My perception is the industry [restauranteurs and bar-owners] wants to work with us in the process to come up with reasonable enforcement.”
It sounds like a useful start. It won’t stop people from drinking, but it may stop them from killing themselves with alcohol poisoning and cut down on the number of innocent people who have their lives ruined because somebody thought he could still drive just fine.
