New Battery or Detector Could Equal A Life Saved

The statistics are alarming: 65 percent of house fire deaths occur in homes without smoke detectors and the death rate in homes with a working smoke detector is 51 percent less than those without.

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 May 7 in an effort to install 1,000 new smoke detectors in Cincinnati and Newport homes. Called "Mega Blitz: A Cause for Alarm," 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 co-sponsors of this year's event and also are supplying several shuttles. 

"It was a great day, where the College of Medicine worked together to make a difference, while having a lot of fun," says Lori Mackey, senior associate dean for operations and finance in the College of Medicine and one of UC's volunteers last year. "I enjoyed the day so much and felt great about the impact the rally made on our community, that I plan to volunteer for the rally downtown on May 7 with my son."

Volunteers for this year's event are asked to gather by 9 a.m., May 7, at Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, 1000 Broadway, where they will be treated to breakfast and a special visit from the UC Bearcat mascot. The event begins in the circular driveway on the south side of the casino near the employee entrance. After receiving instructions, tools and a snack, volunteers sporting Red Cross vests will take shuttle buses to one of several neighborhoods -- Over the Rhine, Mount Auburn, Walnut Hills or Newport, Ky. -- to begin going door-to-door in teams of four. The Red Cross expects all teams will visit about 2,500 homes that day.

Each home visit takes about 15 minutes. Red Cross and fire department vehicles will accompany volunteers to support the teams. Teams will shuttle back to the Horseshoe Casino by 3:30 p.m. for a wrap-up and celebration party.

"Our Clifton neighbors were very welcoming and actually incredibly sweet," Mackey says. "The residents were grateful to UC and the Red Cross, while the students enjoyed talking about UC and their college experiences. Everyone appreciated learning about fire safety, creating a plan in case there was a fire in their home, and having their smoke detectors tested and often replaced. We mainly installed smoke detectors in older homes and apartments, where they either did not have detectors at all or the detectors were not working.

"Our team had a blast and it turned out to be a fantastic team building exercise," Mackey added. "We met local business owners, interesting local residents and UC students. We connected personally with everyone we met and got a lot of positive feedback about the Red Cross mission and the University of Cincinnati. We laughed a lot during the day and learned a lot about each other. For instance, who can work a drill and who was the most outgoing and effective in getting the residents to let us into their homes to test their smoke detectors."

The Red Cross notes that smoke detectors wear out and should be replaced every 10 years.

Mackey says that she was surprised to learn that seven times a day someone in the U.S. dies in a fire and that a working smoke detector reduces the chance of death in a fire by 50 percent. She also urged people who are considering volunteering for the day to watch a Red Cross video about the White family of Belleville, Kansas. The Whites lost their 21-months-old son, Sawyer, along with their home and pets in a March 2015 fire. Last month, the Whites joined other volunteers to participate in their local Red Cross "Mega Blitz" event. 

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Watch the video.

To participate, visit SmokeAlarmsSaveLives.org and fill out the registration. Children 15 years and older are able to join in the event. Parking is free in the Horseshoe Casino parking garage for the event.