Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has teamed up with the American Red Cross to encourage local fire and EMS departments to host a blood drive. Not only will you be saving even more lives, you’ll be fostering teamwork among your members, building goodwill within your community, and connecting with donors who may be interested in becoming volunteers.
As an emergency responder, you understand how important blood donation is to save lives. The American Red Cross is a leader in blood donation, providing 40 percent of the U.S. blood supply. They would not be able to keep up with the demand without the help of organizations and business hosting blood drives throughout the year.
When you partner with the Red Cross to host a blood drive, you will be engaging your members in a positive and uplifting activity that will boost morale and build camaraderie. You will also provide a way for community members to make a lifesaving donation, connect with your department, and better recognize all that your department does for them. In addition, you can use the blood drive as a recruitment tool by having materials available to donors about how they can volunteer with your department.
To host a blood drive, you need to provide a space large enough to ensure donor privacy as well as volunteers to recruit, schedule, and support donors. The Red Cross will provide planning assistance, donor recruitment tools and templates, equipment and supplies, and trained staff to screen donors and collect the blood donations.
Learn more and sign up to host a blood drive at https://rcblood.org/nvfc.
If your department is unable to host a blood drive but you still want to save lives by donating blood, click here to pledge your support and find local blood drives in your area.