Local first responders are teaming up with Canadian Blood Services to give back.
Sirens for Life is a nationwide campaign that sees first responders donate blood and plasma. On Monday, September 8, members of the Lethbridge Police Service and Lethbridge Fire & EMS made a group donation at the Lethbridge Plasma Donor Centre.
“I like to help people, and giving blood or plasma is something you never think about until somebody you love needs it, or yourself even,” says LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh.
“That’s why I like to always donate, so I can help my fellow citizens and you know, the person who needs it could be someone close to me, and even if it’s somebody who I don’t know, I still care to help others.”
Mehdizadeh says that by participating in the drive, he hopes to encourage more members of the LPS and LFES to make regular donations, if they can.
“The rewards of it outweigh the little time it takes to donate,” he adds.
Officials note that 50 donors can help save one crash victim, five donors can support a heart surgery patient, and 130 plasma donations can ensure one year of treatment for an immune deficiency patient.
Lisa Castro, community development manager at CBS says in Lethbridge, “On any given day, we need anywhere from 70 to 100 donors”.
“What we’re trying to do is really engage the community to support us and to experience what you get when you give. It’s not just about saving lives but it’s [about] the difference and the impact that you’re making in the community.”
She adds that having the support of first responders is beneficial and like Mehdizadeh, hopes it encourages more individuals to register to donate.
“We do know that over the next five years, the demand for plasma is doubling, so our goal is to bring in at least one million new donors across Canada,” Castro states. “We just can’t keep relying on the same two per cent of the population to support plasma donations.”
The organization explains that the plasma donation process is similar to donating whole blood. The main difference is how they are collected. For a plasma donation, staff separate the blood components through a process known as apheresis in order to solely collect plasma from a donor. The rest of the donor’s blood, including red and white blood cells, and platelets, is then returned to the individual as they donate.
Whole blood donations are generally used to treat blood loss, due to injury or surgery, while plasma is often used to create different therapies that help replace missing or deficient proteins in people with diseases like hemophilia.
Lethbridge residents are encouraged to contribute to local first responders’ Sirens for Life team by signing up through the CBS website and searching the name ‘Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services – SFL’ or ‘Lethbridge Police Service – SFL’.
