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Health & Fitness

Pikesville PCRC Meeting on December 13, 2011: Valuable Information For All Pikesville Residents!

At the December meeting of the Pikesville Police and Community Relations Council, the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company reminded residents to obey the move-over law.

THE PIKESVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY ENLIGHTENS CITIZENS AT THE PIKESVILLE PCRC MEETING held on December 13, 2011, at 7pm (Held at The Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, 7401 Park Heights Ave, Pikesville, MD)

Captain Glenn Resnick and several members of Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company came to the meeting with Captain Resnick giving a very informative talk on various topics. He very proudly explained that the company has been fighting fires for their community for over 100 years and is the second oldest fire company in Baltimore County.

They also boast specialty teams in fire protection and heavy rescue and have a unique "confined space" team. Captain Resnick then expressed gratitude for the donations they received to make some new equipment they now have possible; namely, the new "state of the art" ambulance.

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Attendees of the meeting had the opportunity to go out and look at the new vehicle. The old one had been on over 13,000 calls and had over 115,000 miles on it so a new one was most definitely needed.

He also spoke very strongly about the "epidemic" of inattentive drivers.

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In addition to the high rate of accidents they cause overall, there have also been many accidents, some with fatalities, involving our firefighters, EMT's and police officers. This is often a result of people not heeding the Maryland law which states that drivers are to move over and slow down or stop to allow emergency vehicles to pass safely and quickly when on their way to potentially save a life. As a reminder, here is the law as stated from the Maryland Driver's Handbook on page 27:

"B. Emergency Vehicles: Authorized emergency vehicles, such as police cars, ambulances and fire engines, have the right-of-way when they are using their audible or visual signals, i.e. sirens and flashing lights. 

 •  Immediately after you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching that is using its signals, you must move as close as possible to the edge of the roadway, clear of any intersection, and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.   

•  If you are proceeding in the same direction as an emergency vehicle using its signals, you may not pass the emergency vehicle unless the emergency vehicle stops or you are otherwise directed by a police officer.   

•  If you are approaching an emergency vehicle that is using its visual signals and is stopped on a roadway, you must pull into the far lane, if possible, and slow down to a safe speed for the conditions.(http://www.mva.maryland.gov/resources/dl-002a.pdf)

Additionally, Captain Resnick reviewed some of the many activities that the company is involved in yearly. He mentioned a yearly demonstration eenactment done at Pikesville High School to show high school students the dangers of driving under the influence, a yearly open house held at the firehouse with activities for adults and children and multiple trips to different schools to talk about fire safety and exit drills.

He also reminded meeting attendees that the PVFC never makes phone calls to solicit donations, and it only does mailings and "Fill the Boot" campaigns at centrally located intersections in Pikesville.

He then went into a list of the many maintenance type things that people should do to ensure their safety.

Some of these were: have your furnace checkedserviced yearly, check smoke detectorCO detector batteries and check your fire extinguishers charge and throw them away if they are over ten years old. He also gave a phone number that people could call for questions about these things. (410-887-1258)    

Finally, the captain gave some reminders regarding common mistakes people make especially when the weather turns cold.

One was regarding the use of generators and to be sure and place them outside of a dwelling completely. Even in an attached garage, they could prove to be deadly. Another was the use of propane heaters which use pressurized gas to heat areas that aren't well insulated, such as patios, warehouses, and detached garages. They are not recommended for in-home use and can be very dangerous. Suffice it to say, all meeting attendees were very thankful for his engaging, enlightening talk as well as for the opportunity to check out the new ambulance!    

Also discussed at the Pikesville PCRC meeting was the council's Mission Statement which outlines the purpose of the group and provides the key elements and goals involving the continued cooperation and collaboration with the Baltimore County Police Department.

It was a terrific reminder of what our responsibilities are as citizens and what our focus should be. A copy of this mission statement can be obtained by emailing the Director, Jerry D'Antoni at: j.dantoni@verizon.net.

The group Treasurer Linda Lazarus gave her report on the months of August, September and October and a discussion ensued about fundraising and possibly selling some pizzas soon in the future.

Another fundraising idea was to have a "restaurant night" at a local establishment and invite the community to come out and dine together.

Jerry, the council director, then thanked everyone for their help in making Thanksgiving dinner at the precinct a great success. Those police officers who had to work on Thanksgiving were very thankful that they didn't have to miss their holiday dinner completely.

The Officer (Captain Roman Zaryk) who was to provide us with our "Commander's Report" was sick and was sent home to recuperate. Hopefully he is feeling better. There was a discussion among attendees regarding the recent rash of "car keying" incidents and this information was given to the other Officer present.

There were ideas exchanged about how to prevent future "keyings" and how to catch those individuals if they try it again. Some of our community members have begun walking the streets at various times as a preventative measure to try and deter crimes such as vandalism andor home and car break-ins.

Anyone who lives in the Pikesville precinct area is invited and encouraged to attend our next meeting on January 24th, 2012 at the same meeting place mentioned earlier in this publication. For information and important phone numbers related to the Pikesville Precinct, follow this link: http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/pc04/index.html.   

Hope to see everyone at the next meeting!!

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