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Red Cross volunteers ready at moment’s notice

Red Cross relocates van to Liberty Twp. to shorten response time in community.

Bob and Mary Vollman of Liberty Twp. are volunteers who work with the Red Cross to respond to emergencies in Butler County. Staff photo by Greg Lynch

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By Lindsey Hilty, Staff Writer Updated 9:38 PM Sunday, September 5, 2010

LIBERTY TWP. — Response time of the Red Cross will be faster with the relocation of an emergency vehicle to Liberty Twp.

“We want to make a commitment to the community that we want to be there as quickly as we can to help with whatever we can do,” said Kevin Quatman, community disaster coordinator for Butler County.

The Red Cross cargo van, purchased with a donation in 2005 from the West Chester/Liberty Twp. Rotary, was parked at the West Chester City Building on Cincinnati-Dayton Road. But research of response times showed by moving the vehicle to the fire station on Yankee Road, volunteers could get to emergency scenes faster with the close proximity to Ohio 129 and Interstate 75.

Butler County has 65 volunteers operating on six volunteer teams to serve the county, he said.

For the past two years, Bob and Mary Vollman of Liberty Twp. have been serving on the Monday night disaster team.

Bob Vollman also drives the van Wednesday evenings. With their home only a half mile from the new location, they said their response time has changed dramatically, especially since they no longer have to double back to go to Hamilton or Middletown where most of the fires are.

In the van is clothing for residents who are burned out of homes, along with comfort kits that contain toothbrushes and some fo children that also contain small toys — “just something that can kind of take their attention off what they just went through,” he said.

The van also contains flood cleanup kits and refreshments for fire crews stuck on a scene for long periods of time.

The Vollmans are empty-nesters who decided to join the Red Cross when their four children moved away.

In addition to responding to emergencies, they often present educational seminars on fire safety to children in schools.

“We had some extra time on our hands, and we wanted to do some volunteer work where we both could be involved and this seemed like a good fit for us,” Bob Vollman said.

Mary Vollman added, “We’ve been so fortunate in our lives, we needed to give back; and we thought that was a good way to do it. I really like helping the people. They really are at their last wits when they call us. They don’t know where else to turn.”

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