UC Helping Red Cross to Save Lives

UC Health News

Seven people each day die across the U.S. during home fires, and often it is from not having a working smoke detector. As recently as March 29 an elderly couple died from a small but smoky fire in their Evanston home that was not equipped with smoke detectors.To increase the number of local homes with working smoke detectors, the University of Cincinnati and UC Health will join with the Red Cross on April 29 to install 1,000 new smoke detectors in Greater Cincinnati homes. Called "A Cause for Alarms: Mega Blitz 2017” volunteers from across the region will visit homes in target neighborhoods and offer to replace batteries in detectors or, if needed, install new smoke detectors at no charge to homeowners or renters. They’ll also provide free fire evacuation information.UC and UC Health are again co-sponsoring the event. "This is the third year we’ve been participating and it gets better every year,” says Lori Mackey, senior associate dean for operations and finance in the College of Medicine and a volunteer for the last two years. "This is just another instance of how the College of Medicine and UC Health have worked together to make a difference in our community. Not only are we doing something that could potentially save lives, but it’s a really fun event.”This year the Red Cross is offering two shifts for those interested in participating. Volunteers are asked to gather at either 8 a.m. or noon on April 29, at Jack Cincinnati Casino, 1000 Broadway. People will be treated to food, festivities and instructions before heading out in teams of four with tools, batteries and smoke detectors to various neighborhoods in Greater Cincinnati. This year the Red Cross is hoping volunteers will visit approximately 3,000 homes in Madisonville, Norwood, St. Bernard, Paddock Hills and Oakley in Ohio and in Dayton, Bellevue and Covington in Kentucky. ...

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