The American Red Cross is kicking off the 30th anniversary Battle of the Badges blood drive on Monday. The event is a friendly competition between law enforcement, fire and EMS services to encourage the most blood donations during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period.
The winning department will receive a traveling trophy and bragging rights for the year, and the fire department has been the winner over the past four years.
All participating donors will receive an event t-shirt designed by the committee of first responders, and they can vote for law enforcement, fire or EMS.
The campaign runs from December 9th through the 31st. Donors can use the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit the web site RedCrossBlood.org, or call 1-800-RED
CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
The Red Cross is facing an emergency blood shortage and it has been urging people to make an appointment to help patients in Kansas and across the country receive lifesaving medical treatments. Overall, the Red Cross national blood supply has fallen by more than 25 percent since July 1st.
