Photo By Staff Sgt. James Avery | No D.U.I El Paso, a non-profit organization will pick you and your car up from just...... read more read more
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EL PASO, Texas – On May 11, 2014, an 18-year-old Soldier assigned to Fort Bliss, was involved in the deaths of two construction workers on I-10 east. The El Paso Police Department believes alcohol to be a factor in the on-going investigation.
When you consider that Texas led the nation in drunk driving fatalities in 2011 with 1,213 killed and again in 2012 with 1,296, it’s no surprise that since Aug. 1, 2014 there have been 17 arrests for driving while intoxicated, according to the City of El Paso Police Department.
The news release above is one of many tragic and preventable stories related to alcohol and driving in the City of El Paso, Texas, and the Army throughout the world. It’s a problem many see as fixable, giving rise to programs such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), International Drunk Driving Prevention Association (IDDPA), and National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD).
At the local level however, various groups and organizations have formed designated driving programs intended to stem the tide of drunk driving incidents. Designated driver programs are established all across the Army, be it through the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (B.O.S.S.) program run by the Morale, Welfare and Recreation department or though independent programs set up by Soldiers themselves.
One such organization is No D.U.I. El Paso (N.D.E.P). This all-volunteer, non-profit organization was started by a Soldier here on Fort Bliss and in the two years since its inception DWI incidents in the El Paso area have lowered by a staggering 28 percent.
Tyler Rouse, 25-year-old founder and CEO of N.D.E.P., said he started the organization with the intention of making sure his battle buddies got back home safe and sound.
After a deployment to Iraq as a cavalry scout, Rouse noticed his Soldiers did a lot of drinking and occasionally driving.
Rouse, a native of Oregon City, OR. said, “Soldiers would come back to the barracks and stumble out of their cars.”
Now a reservist assigned to the 647th Army Reserve, Rouse said he started N.D.E.P. when he was assigned to Bravo Company, 127th Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division here on Fort Bliss as an aircraft powertrain repairer, and its roots are surprising.
“N.D.E.P. was originally only designed for a company-sized element,” said Rouse. “Once my battalion noticed what was happening, they made it a battalion level program. And then 1st CAB wanted to make it brigade level, and it snowballed from there.”
Keep in mind; this is a non-profit organization with funding from sponsors within the El Paso community and grant money that was applied for through the U.S. government. Rouse has made sure N.D.E.P will stand the test of time by taking monetary factors almost completely out of the equation.
“My staff and I operate N.D.E.P for less than $900 a month,” Rouse said. “Sponsors donate things like the T-shirts we wear and this building we operate out of. We just pay the utilities and refund some gas money to the volunteers.”
N.D.E.P. will come to your chosen place of merriment, pick you and your vehicle up and take you to your residence, all at no charge to you, or anyone else. Like a good friend who takes your keys after you’ve been drinking, N.D.E.P. wants to get you home safe from your night of social gathering that may have included an intoxicating beverage such as beer or wine.
“As long as you have a valid U.S. issued I.D,” Rouse said. “Then you’re good to go.”
Some on the staff such as Staff Sgt. Robert Barnes, chief financial officer for N.D.E.P and a practical nursing specialist assigned to Company A, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, Texas, said he joined Rouse’s staff for very personal reasons.
“As a nurse at William Beaumont, I saw too many victims of DUI vehicular crashes,” said Barnes, a 36-year-old native of Bremerton, WA. “Too many times I saw a drunk driver come through the emergency room with minor injuries and the victim they ran into was either horrible injured or dead. I want to do my part to stop that from happening.”
Sgt. Gerald Fields, AH-64 Apache attack helicopter repairer assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Action Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas, and N.D.E.P.’s chief operations coordinator, said he joined because it was the right thing to do.
“In the end,” Fields, a 30-year-old native of Casper, Wyo., said, “it’s about getting folks home because their initial plan to get home fell through. That usually means their designated driver had a few drinks as well and can no longer safely or legally drive.”
Rouse explains that N.D.E.P. is not a taxi service, nor should it, by any means, be your first plan to get home.
“We don’t want to be your plan A,” Rouse said. “We should be your plan B or even C. We’re there if you need us, but ideally your plan A should involve a designated driver within your group of friends.”
When it comes right down to it, N.D.E.P. knows Soldiers and civilians are going to go out to bars, nightclubs and restaurants and consume alcohol. It’s a matter of fact. They simply want to mitigate DUI’s and other alcohol related incidents involving vehicles.
“Around here it’s one team, one fight,” said Rouse, smiling and looking around the N.D.E.P. offices. “We’re here for Soldiers, civilians and anyone else who may need our services.
For more information on No D.U.I. El Paso, visit their website at: noduielpaso.com or find them on Facebook.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2014 09:11 |
| Story ID: | 139274 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Safe Ride Home: No D.U.I. El Paso gets you there, by SSG James Avery, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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