Be A Hero

An Akron police officer who ran into a burning house, and the Akron firefighter/paramedic who arrived a short time later talk about their harrowing experience trying to save a disabled woman from the home. And two Akron school teachers describe their separate but similar experiences helpingh choking children. Hosts: Jim McIntyre and Christy Peters, American Red Cross regional communicators.

Part one of our Hero interviews. Bus driver Jim Kuhn explains how he reacted when a passenger passed out at the door of his bus, likely saving the passenger's life. And five-year old Easton Spann talks about helping his grandmother after she suffered a seizure. Both are among the winners of the 2023 Acts of Courage Awards presented by the American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley

American Red Cross CPR Instructor Erin Hosek explains how to perform the lifesaving skill, how to use an AED, and how to help someone who's choking.

Red Cross volunteer Lisa Mize of Huron, Ohio and employee Jill Patterson reflect on their experiences during their first-ever deployment to a disaster response. They both went, at different times, to Florida to help people who had been affected by Hurricane Ian.

Jamell Fetter, an employee of the Estes Express Lines terminal in Toledo was recently honored by the American Red Cross with a Lifesaving Award for Extraordinary Personal Action. This episode features Jamell explaining how he was able to perform lifesaving CPR on a coworker, despite having no formal training. Also featured, the coworker whose life was saved, and the Director of Corporate Training and Development for Estes Express Lines, who explains how this episode inspired a corporate-wide initiative to have the Red Cross teach FIrst Aid/CPR/AED skills to employees.

Four employees of the Giant Eagle supermarket in Boardman, Ohio are being honored with an Acts of Courage award for using CPR and an AED to save the life of a five-year old girl.

As a freshman at Hubbard High School, Baron Reynolds recognized a classmate in trouble and stepped up, performing abdominal thrusts to clear his choking friend's airway. This enthusiastic young man equates his act of courage to that of a superhero.

The first-responder team at Classic Optical in Liberty Township, Trumbull County responded when a coworker collapsed in April of 2022. Thanks to their First Aid/CPR/AED training, Bill Mikesell, Chris Hartzell and superviror Frank Zagotti helped save a life that day. They tell their story in this episode.