Between fifty and sixty people attended the launch for this year's Operation Red Nose Quinte campaign on Saturday.
 
This is the fifteenth year of the program and for 2018 the group will have a new home -- the Avaya Building on Sidney Street.
 
It's there where the launch took place.
 
Operation Red Nose is a unique free designated driver program where a three-person driving team will be dispatched to pick you, your passengers and your car up to get home safely.
 
Operation Red Nose Chair Rick Watt said you don't have to have a licence to get involved.
 
"You can be a volunteer...as a navigator because you're not driving the car...you look after the paperwork and that...a volunteer with a licence can drive...can be an escort at nineteen years old with a full license."
 
Joining Watt and Operation Red Nose Quinte President David Allen at Saturday's launch were Belleville Mayor-elect Mitch Panciuk and Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison.
 
Allen talked about the recent passing of longtime volunteer Peter Cox and his dedication to Operation Red Nose.
 
Panciuk thanked organizers for the work that they do -- 'work that saves lives'.
 
Harrison also expressed his appreciation for the work volunteers do annually and also talked about his own experience about a snowy trip on Shannonville Road during his first year involved with Operation Red Nose.
 
Watt talked about why the Quinte initiative has lasted as long as it has.
 
"I think it's because they (the volunteers) like what they're doing and we treat them like people...that's why I think we're so successful...we have people come out every night, volunteer every night."
 
The fifteenth year for Operation Red Nose Quinte is noteworthy as it was recently announced that Kingston will not having Operation Red Nose this year due to a lack of volunteers.
 
Watt also thanked Avaya and Joe Shunock for allowing his group to be in the building for its operations.
 
He added the Avaya Building will be beneficial for his group and he anticipates a busy holiday season this year.
 
"There's four phone operators and two dispatchers...and we'll have thirty-four radios.  Sometimes, we'll have sheets lined up like Trenton, Belleville...where they're going and coming from, we line them up...where we got the people dispatched to and we've got a good system now."
 
When asked about goals for 2018, Watt answered that his group can't really set goals.
 
"All you'd like to do is to make sure every person gets home...we go for zero tolerance...we don't want anybody hurt while we're working...we don't want any fatalities as we work, so zero is what we're looking for."
 
Operation Red Nose begins on Friday, November 30 and will operate on Thursday through Saturday every week until December 31.
 
Learn more:  http://www.rednosequinte.com/home.asp