National Night Out in Penn Hills links community with law enforcement, other agencies

Tyler Tomasino, president of the Penn Hills Rotary, doesn’t count the number of heads at the community’s celebration of National Night Out — he counts hot dogs eaten.

That’s a pretty good proxy for attendance, he said, and Tuesday’s gathering appeared to be a down year — with just 130 hot dogs, 40 burgers, 25 gallons of Rita’s Italian Ice and 400 pints of Turner’s Tea consumed.

The torrential rain that bookended the event at Penn Hills Elementary School may have deterred some folks, but those who did show up got a chance to chat with neighbors, meet first responders and learn about some of the nonprofits that dot the municipality.

National Night Out has existed since the 1980s, but it’s only three years old in Penn Hills.

When Tomasino took over as Rotary president, he made it a priority to bring the event — which enables residents to interact with first responders in a relaxed environment — to his community.

“We like this event because it’s something that’s been done nationwide for years, but it’s never been done here,” Tomasino said. “We see a need, we plan, we mobilize and we execute.”

Participating agencies included Penn Hills police, EMS and all five volunteer fire departments, as well as the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, PennDOT and other government organizations.

Representatives from plasma donation center Grifols, the Penn Hills Shade Tree Commission, the Allegheny River Boulevard Preservation Association, Backyard Nature, Howard Hanna and the office of state Rep. Joe McAndrew were in attendance, too.

There was plenty to do in the parking lot of the elementary school.

Firefighters offered rides in their lifts. PennDOT workers let kids climb in their dump truck and honk the horn. Police officers gave out frisbees, water bottles and other swag.

As a few children pretended to be medics in an ambulance, occasionally confusing their duties with those of a police officer, Penn Hills EMT Tim Snyder spoke about his experience with events such as National Night Out.

“We do a fair amount of community engagement where we interact with folks,” Snyder said.

His colleague, Rajiv Pavan, chimed in: “Just so they’re not scared when we show up.”

It’s especially important for kids to learn about medics, Snyder noted, since they get less attention compared to police officers and firefighters. On rare occasions, a child is the only person able to call 911.

Plus, the event was a welcome breather compared to the pair’s long and often intense days at work.

“We’re running around a lot doing calls,” said Snyder, who works 70-hour weeks. “It’s kind of nice to have a break.”

Penn Hills police Chief Ronald Como also acknowledged the value of meeting with children. He said police don’t have a whole lot of control over what happens on social media, where they often are viewed in a negative light, but they can try to make someone’s first interaction with an officer a positive one.

“Usually, first impressions are lasting impressions,” Como said. “It’s hard to recuperate from that negative result.”