BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –
Beale Airmen Against Drunk Driving offers members of Beale Air Force Base with a designated driver any time, any where with a single phone call.
BAADD provides base personnel a safe, anonymous, and a free alternative mode of transportation to get home.
"Originally, BAADD was briefed as a last resort if your plan fell through, but it is not," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Hayes, BAADD president. "It's a caring program; it's there to take care of people."
In 2013 the BAADD saves increased by 64 percent from the previous year. This year there have been 204 saves and counting.
"BAADD is a 24/7 operation," Hayes said. "We want to make sure you get home safe regardless of day or time."
According to Hayes, BAADD callers have a new option, which provides two volunteers to retrieve the caller and the caller's vehicle.
"BAADD callers may not want to leave their vehicle behind when they get picked up, so we created this service about a year ago to have two drivers go out and safely take the caller and their vehicle home," Hayes said.
In addition, BAADD supports unit functions such as holiday or farewell parties, whether it's on or off base. The requester has the option to have drivers onsite or on-call for the event.
The program is operated by approximately 190 volunteers and five council members.
Volunteers have options to include:
Standard volunteers- A designated driver who receives dispatched calls and picks up callers.
Plus-Up volunteers- Volunteers sign up individually, but are willing to be paired with another volunteer during a dispatched call.
Buddy-Up volunteers- Two volunteers can sign up as a pair to support a dispatched call.
Dispatcher volunteer- A volunteer who receives calls from BAADD users and forwards the pick-up information to a designated driver.
BAADD volunteers have the option to choose which days and locations they would like to offer support.
The BAADD council meets every third Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. in the Flag Room of the Contrails dining facility to discuss trends, issues, and new ideas. Newcomers are welcome.
To apply to become a volunteer, contact Airman 1st Class Brendan Jerney, BAADD volunteer coordinator, via email.
To apply for event services, email a request to BAADD@us.af.mil.