Airmen safe with DAADD behind the wheel

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Morgan
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  In 2010, 38 percent of Delaware traffic fatalities were alcohol related and more than 5,000 people were arrested for driving under the influence.

Dover Airman Against Drunk Driving is designed to help Airmen become more than one of these statistics. At Dover Air Force Base, Del., more than 191 Airman have found themselves with a safe ride home this year due to more than 2,000 hours of volunteer time.

"Our program is here to support Dover AFB active-duty personnel," said Airman 1st Class Brett Kiser, the president of DAADD. "Our volunteers work extremely hard to make sure no Airmen are left behind when they need a ride."

The program runs every Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. and it offers free rides for Team Dover members who would otherwise have no way to get home.

"DAADD should never be the first course of action for getting home safely when going out to drink," said Kiser. "We are here to support Airmen when their plans of getting home have failed."

Team Dover members who want to use the program should have no fear. The program operates outside of the chain of command and is completely anonymous, said Kiser. There is no way for retribution for using the program and volunteers don't talk about who they pick up.

Volunteers can sign up for either Friday or Saturday, or both, and are on-call during that time. One member of DAADD mans a phone at the command post and dispatches volunteers to various locations to pick up people needing a ride home. The volunteers only give rides from a location to the member's home and not from place to place.

The volunteers who support Team Dover Airmen range from junior enlisted to senior officers. They volunteer through one of 29 points of contact who reside within the 436th Airlift Wing's squadrons.

"I am so proud of our volunteers and points of contact we have for DAADD," said Kiser. "They are always reliable and have made this program run smoothly and help a lot of Airmen."

DAADD works with multiple agencies around the base to include the 436 AW Safety Office, the 1st Sergeants Council and the 436 AW command chief, who have also made the program successful.

Recently, DAADD has been contacted by other bases wanting to set up a similar program, said Kiser.

"We are honored that our program is the example to other bases and we are glad to help them by showing them how we operate," said Kiser. "Ultimately it's about saving as many lives and careers as we can."

To reach DAADD, call 677-6000.