Edmonton emergency workers spent Wednesday morning campaigning for local residents to donate blood.
Emergency service workers in Edmonton and the Canadian Blood Services are holding the Sirens for Life campaign this summer, with the goal of collecting 9,263 units of blood and recruiting 1,220 new donors.
“The first responders are out there every day putting their lives on the line and helping to save lives, so this is a way for them to give back, helping hospital patients, but it’s a way for the general public to give back as well and support those emergency workers,” Jennifer Gretzan-Melnichuk, Canadian Blood Services territory manager, said.
Canadian Blood Services said it struggles to get adequate blood donations during the summer.
“People are busy, away on long weekends and the need of blood is not always top of mind, yet the demand for blood is always constant,” Gretzan-Melnichuk said.
RCMP Const. Marcus Hirschfield was on-duty in February 2013 when he was involved during a collision near Edmonton. He suffered serious injuries and required two units of blood during his recovery.
“The way I see it, I owe a debt to Canadian Blood Services. I had to wait a year after my surgery to donate, but I’ve been donating ever since then,” Hirschfield said.
“I think I’ve given enough now that I replaced what I took from the system, but the way I see it, in that ledger book I’ll always be in the red.”
A person who is seriously injured in a car crash could needs as many as 50 blood donations.
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