SIERRA VISTA — The Sierra Vista Fire Department is hoping to get local bars, restaurants and other businesses involved in a new program to raise awareness about drunk driving and to encourage the use of designated drivers.

The Ensign John R. Elliott Hero Campaign for Designated Drivers was launched 11 years ago by the family of a Naval Academy graduate who was killed by a drunk driver. The program encourages the promotion of designated drivers by bars and restaurants by asking that they offer complementary, non-alcoholic drinks for those sober individuals who are taking responsibility for others.

Firefighter/Paramedic Jeremy Baker first learned about the national program a little over a year ago. Out of several community programs that he could choose from to bring back to Sierra Vista, he selected this one. 

Not only does he sometimes come across scenes like automobile accidents that involved alcohol because of his work as a paramedic, but he has also experienced the negative effects these situations can create on a personal level.

“I had a good friend back home, his buddies left him at the bar and he walked home and was struck by a car and killed,” Baker said. “I’ve lost two or three friends from drinking and driving. So it touched home with me a little bit.”

In the first few months after learning of the program, Baker’s efforts were contained within the department, creating a reference card for fellow firefighters to keep with them with the names and cell phone numbers of their co-workers in the event they should need a sober driver. 

Now, Baker is ready to expand the program out into the rest of the community by getting area businesses involved. 

“A lot of places we know do these types of things already, but they don’t advertise it. This is a step in that direction. Let’s get it out there, let it be known,” he said.

In the past few weeks, Baker has spoken with two local taxi companies, Independent Shuttle and Huachuca Shuttle and Taxi, who have since agreed to offer special discounted rates to those who mention the Hero Campaign. 

It’s Baker’s hope that after speaking with restaurants and bars in the area, they will be willing to supplement any existing policies with the program. 

Two that he has recently spoken with, Buffalo Wild Wings and the Outback Steakhouse, have agreed to offer free soft drinks to those that are abstaining from alcohol for the night, he said.

“I think it’s a good program,” said Michael Cieszinski, owner of the Outback Steakhouse in Sierra Vista. 

“We have a similar program in place, and we would definitely like to support their efforts in any way
 possible.”

Baker said he plans to reach out to more than a dozen other establishments in the coming weeks in order to keep drunken driving incidents in Sierra Vista to as few as
 possible.

“It’s such a shame, and it can be avoided. So I think if we can do anything about it, we should,” he said.

Any businesses that would like to get involved in the program can contact Firefighter/Paramedic Jeremy Baker at (520)-255-1248 or at Sierra Vista Fire Station 1, 458-3319. 

For information on the Ensign John R. Elliott Hero Campaign for Designated Drivers, visit www.herocampaign.org.