Ada County Paramedics, the Boise Fire Department and the Ada County Sheriff's Department held its first 'Battle of the Badges Blood Drive' on Saturday at the Boise Towne Square Mall. The three agencies had a friendly competition to see which agency could get the most people to donate blood.
"We're just trying to raise awareness for the need for blood in our community," Kevin Allen, a Boise Fire Department Senior Firefighter, said.
It's a need first responders see every day.
"Our goal is to hopefully leave with 55 pints of blood which I don’t think is going to be a problem and that will help save the lives or at least make them healthy, the 150 patients in the hospital," Lisa Winters, an American Red Cross senior account manager, said. "I don’t think people realize how important it is every day, they hear about a crisis and then they come out, but we want to educate people that the need is every day."
Ada County Paramedic, Lindsey Appel, spearheaded the blood drive.
"We work together every single day, us, police, fire and it's really nice that we can come together in another way to benefit the community and have a great time," Appel said.
Saturday's blood drive collected 81 blood bags.
Fifty-eight of them were for the Ada County Paramedics, 34 of them for the Boise Fire Department and seven of them for the Ada County Sheriff's Department.