Are you a BADD service member

Published Oct. 28, 2016
By Senior Airman Racheal E. Watson
460th Space Wing

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- It’s late on a weekend. You’ve spent the evening hitting the dance floor and singing, okay screaming, 90 percent of the lyrics, sipping on your drink when your brain comes up short. The evening is winding down and you know you’re not sober enough to get behind the wheel, so you call some friends to pick you up, only they are not available.

Who are you going to call?

“Buckley Against Drunk Driving- it is a free, safe, reliable way home for all of Team Buckley,” said Staff Sgt. Tara Thompson, 460th Security Forces Squadron police services NCO in charge and BADD vice president. “BADD's sole mission is to ensure the safety and well-being to Airmen and the community to ensure everyone arrives home safe.”

On any given Friday, Saturday, Sunday and for special events, BADD volunteers are on standby to be utilized as a plan C to allow a pick up at the person's location and dropped off to their final location of the evening or night.

“It is important that Buckley Air Force Base service members and their families know there is a “plan C” option to get them home safe from a night out,” says Master Sgt. Robert Hotzfeld, 460th Mission Support Group first sergeant. “We use the term ‘plan C’ because the service provided is meant to be utilized when plan A and B fall through for unforeseen reasons.”

The program creates a safety net for any service member on the installation, spouses and Department of Defense card holders. It allows people to know they have an option of a free, safe alternative way of getting home if their original plans fail.

“BADD is an opportunity to be a wingman,” said Thompson. “It allows a volunteer to ensure their friends and family arrive home safe and ensures Team Buckley has an alternate plan on getting home if their original plan fails. Really, volunteering for BADD is a chance to save a life.”

Volunteers consist of a minimum of a dispatcher and two drivers. The volunteers are able to sit in their own homes and phone calls will be sent to the drivers.

“Volunteers are the backbone to this service,” said Hotzfeld. “BADD has a small council of officers that are unable to provide safe rides on their own. It is vital that members of Team Buckley volunteer to make this service possible. Also, for member safety we provide two drivers per call and match male and female drivers to the caller.”

If you would like to volunteer or have further questions, contact Senior Airman Trevor Hermosillo at 707-867-6729 or Trevor.Hermosillo@us.af.mil.