LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Metro Police, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue and Clark County Fire Department Competed for the most blood donations on Valentine's Day. The winner takes home the trophy.
"Anytime we can say our box is heavier than their box is great. But truly at the end of the day, the real winners are our community," says Metro's emergency manager, Rachel Skidmore.
The first annual "Battle of the Badges" lasted from dusk until dawn — but the fight isn’t done.
Rachel Flanigan, the executive director of the American Red Cross Southern Nevada explained: "The blood that we need is in short demand. We typically like to keep a five-day supply on hand, and we have less than one-day supply of those critical bloods. That’s a really scary statistic."
Clark Dumont, who was hospitalized in 2012 for five days, needed blood transfusions eight hours a day. He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. His body was basically shutting down.
"I haven’t had to have any further treatments, fortunately. I have recovered 100 percent, but it was because people had made the time to donate the blood that I am able to say that," Dumont said.
And now he pays it forward.
"By the records of the American Red Cross, I have donated about 73 units of blood. Three people can benefit from each, so that’s more than 200 people that have benefited from my simple act of donating blood," Dumont said.
The drive brought donors in from around the county and even as far as Salt Lake City.
"It’s our civic duty, if we are able to, to donate the blood, especially in a time where the blood donations are down because of the pandemic," said Sherry Hall, who came out to donate on Monday.
The Red Cross and these first responders plan on being back again next year, saving lives and bringing home the trophy.
