Safety

Hagerstown Community College is offering a course titled “Solar and Wind Systems Firefighter Safety,” on Saturday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the STEM Building, room 208. The course is designed to help fire companies develop best practices for responding to structural fires that include solar panels, wind generators and off-grid battery backup systems. Participants will gain a basic understanding of alternative energy delivery systems and learn to activate disconnects for these systems.

To celebrate Building Safety Month, Washington County government is launching an education campaign focusing on the hot topics in building safety, officials said in a news release. County officials will post daily safety tips on Facebook and answer “ask the expert” questions all month, the release said. In addition, the county will highlight videos that explain building codes and safe structures. Children also can participate by completing educational workbooks available at local libraries.

Marshall Mangold got a little nervous as he got about halfway up the 24-foot rock wall at the Valley Mall. The 6-year-old from Boonsboro got a little coaching from the River Riders wall attendant before jumping off and gliding back down to the floor. “It's really high to the top,” said Marshall, who was with his mother, Carrie Mangold, and 2-year-old sister, Macy. “That was fun when I jumped down.” The Mangolds were among many area families who came out to enjoy Family Fun Day at the mall Sunday afternoon.

Sixty-six motorcycle riders died, and an additional 1,509 were injured on Maryland's roadways in 2011. To bring those numbers down, the Maryland Highway Safety Office is using its Motorcycle Safety and Awareness program to stress the importance of being more careful on the road. On Wednesday, state and county officials were at the Motor Vehicle Administration building south of Hagerstown to promote the program. They'll be there again all day Thursday. “If there's a crash between a car and a motorcycle, the motorcycle always loses,” said Peter Moe, motorcycle safety coordinator for the safety office.

Hagerstown Community College will host the annual public safety awards ceremony Thursday, May 17, beginning at 6 p.m., at Kepler Center. The awards recognize officers who have served the citizens of Washington County in an exemplary manner during the past year. The public is invited to attend the event. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Jeffrey Morgan, assistant professor, HCC administration of justice program, at jamorgan@hagerstowncc.edu .

The Berkeley County Sheriffs Association's request that the county's new public safety building be named in honor of the only deputy to be killed in the line of duty has been denied. In a March 30 letter to association President Scott Myers, Deputy County Administrator Alan J. Davis said the county's Law Enforcement Building Committee could not recommend the building at 510 S. Raleigh St. be named in honor of Deputy John L. Burkett III. Burkett, 28, died Jan. 31, 2001, in a head-on crash while transporting a fugitive from Pennsylvania to Berkeley County.

 The Washington County Commission on Aging will hold an AARP driver-safety program Wednesday, April 18, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Reeders Nursing Home, 141 S. Main St. in Boonsboro. The instructor is William Baschke Jr. The class is designed to help drivers improve their skills. The course costs $12 per person for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers. Checks should be made payable to AARP. For more information, call Judy Brewer at 301-790-0275, ext. 220.

Editor's note: This is one in an series of profiles of candidates running for office in the April 3 primary election. Public safety was a priority to Penny M. Nigh when she held a seat on the Hagerstown City Council, and that hasn't changed as she tries to recapture a council seat. “Right now, we need public safety, majority,” said Nigh, who is one of five Democratic city council candidates on the April 3 primary ballot. All five will advance to the Nov. 6 general election, where they will face five GOP candidates and an unaffiliated incumbent for the five open seats on the council.

A farm equipment safety seminar will be held Saturday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Smith's Implements, 13115 Cearfoss Pike in Hagerstown. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and advanced registration is requested by Friday. The two-hour seminar will include demonstrations and hands-on activities with tractors, weed trimmers, chain saws and power take-off safety. The seminar is a partnership of Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission, Agricultural Marketing, Smith's Implements and Nationwide Insurance.

Richard "Rich" Gaver has lived in Funkstown his entire life. Many in the community know him for the work he does on the Funkstown Town Council and for his involvement with the town's Olde Tyme Christmas and Day in the Park. He admits he likes to keep busy and isn't one to sit around. That's why Gaver likes his work as an inspector for Washington County. “It's different every day because every job is different,” Gaver said. Gaver, 51, has worked in the electrical field since he was 16. Before taking a job with Washington County 15 years ago, he worked as a master electrician, getting his start in the field from the former Washington County Vo-Tech, graduating in 1978.