First responders in southern Alberta are facing off to donate blood plasma in the fifth annual Sirens for Life campaign. Members from the Lethbridge Police Service are competing against RCMP and Alberta Sheriffs. Donors can sign up to donate plasma under either team name to make their donation count towards each team. Blood Services needs 18,000 appointments to be booked across the country to meet demand but bookings have currently fallen short by nearly 2,000. “It’s only a few moments of your time and the impact that you’re making in the community is really immediate,” said Lisa Castro of Canadian Blood Services. “These competitions are really good because in the end, winners or losers, we are all winners because we are doing something amazing – and obviously winners because our citizens actually need this product for their health," said Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh. “One of our co-workers actually is a recipient of the donor program. So he has been impacted from people’s generosity and being able to donate, so it’s something that I find a huge kind of positive in being able to give back,” said Insp. Delaney Malsbury, from the Alberta Sheriffs Highway Patrol, Lethbridge Unit. The Sirens for Life campaign highlights the power of every donation: according to a City of Lethbridge web story, 50 donors can help save one crash victim, 130 plasma donations can provide one year of treatment for an immune deficiency patient and five donors can support a heart surgery patient. To book an appointment or learn more, visit blood.ca.
