Luke turns to ‘smart’ thinking to prevent DUIs Published May 6, 2011 By Tech. Sgt. Mark Adams 56th Maintenance Group LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- A team of 14 members from all over Luke Air Force Base came together to improve the process of providing education and awareness for DUI prevention. The team was comprised of Airmen, NCOs, senior NCOs, a first sergeant, commander and a retired chief. Each was strategically aligned within DUI prevention based on the roles they played. There were also law enforcement, unit Airmen Against Drunk Drivers points-of-contact, a couple of members who had received DUIs, and those who had lost loved ones due to drunken drivers. "This was my first Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, or AFSO21, event" said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Koren, 607th Air Control Squadron quality assurance evaluator and unit representative for DUI prevention. "I was floored to hear that Luke doesn't really have a program for DUI prevention or education. We have mainly just been lucky that the 32 DUIs we received last year were it." It was important to listen to Airmen who had actually received DUIs and hear what they knew prior to getting behind the wheel, said Tech. Sgt. Gregory Bishop, 56th SFS. "It was very enlightening when we learned that both of the Airmen had a plan and a back-up plan which they both thought was effective," he said. The team discovered that each person in the room had their own definition of an effective plan for DUI prevention. "We just assume that when someone says they have a plan to be safe, that they know and we know what that actually means." At the end of the event, the team out-briefed Col. Jeffrey Weed, 56th Fighter Wing vice commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Rory Wicks, 56th FW command chief, with a proposal. The team defined an effective plan and a back-up plan in case a plan should break down. Then they defined when and where they could best implement this new education piece within the wing and units. "This new approach to education and awareness of DUI prevention should allow us to see even more than the 5-percent reduction initially charged to us by Chief Wicks," said Master Sgt. David Garcia, 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron first sergeant. "With this new approach and standard definitions, we should see at least a 10-percent decrease over the next 365 days from our implementation by the fourth of July weekend." "We have broken up into smaller teams to start working some of the items needed for implementation," said Senior Airman Ancel Miller, 56th Component Maintenance Squadron electro-environmental technician. "We are going to develop a new marketing campaign for effective planning for when people intend to drink." This new method of presenting DUI education to the wing will become the new legacy of Luke, Chief Wicks said. "I am excited to see that we have developed a new method to reaching everyone affiliated with Luke," he said. "I can't wait to see this rollout and validated so I can start sharing this with the rest of the Air Force." Colonel Weed said the team did a great job. "I challenge you to take these action items you developed and see it through," he said to the group. "Of all the meetings I attended today, this is the most important. I want you to realize something; you are saving lives."