Wichita and Sedgwick County firefighters won the 27th annual Battle of the Badges.

It’s the third straight year the fire departments won out against law enforcement and EMS in the competition. The Red Cross of South Central and Southeast Kansas collected more than 1,400 donations from Dec. 13th through Jan. 2nd, which was 120% of its goal for the blood drive.

There’s traditionally a dip in blood donations around the holidays, made worse the past two year because of the ongoing impact of COVID-19. There was a 34% drop in new blood donors last year, one of the largest on record. That’s contributed to a blood shortage that could threaten essential medical care for patients.

All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. To donate, a blood donor card, driver’s license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Those who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.