Fire department wins ‘bloody battle’

Normally battles are rough-and-tumble affairs, but the only blood drawn at a recent one between three local public safety agencies was for the American Red Cross.

This occurred during the second-annual “Battle of the Badges Blood Drive” at the Red Cross headquarters on Westlake Drive in Mount Airy, involving the city police and fire departments and the Surry County Emergency Medical Service.

The three were pitted against each other for a friendly competition in which donors at the drive voted on their favorite agency among the trio.

In the end, the Mount Airy Fire Department came out with the most votes, according to Lynn Wilkes of the Greater Carolinas Blood Services Region in Winston-Salem, which coordinates drives in Surry County.

“But the real winners were the 60 lives that were saved from the 20 pints of blood collected,” Wilkes added regarding the potential for each pint to make such a difference for three people.

For its top finish, the fire department received the coveted Battle of the Badges trophy made in the shape of a blood drop.

“Winning the trophy is nice and everything, but giving to those in need is the most important thing,” city Fire Chief Zane Poindexter said Monday. “It wasn’t really about winning.”

Instead, the event was about “giving the gift of life” to the community, the fire chief said. “It ties in to our whole mission of saving lives and property.”

The Battle of the Badges drive was well-timed, since blood donations tend to drop drastically during the winter due to factors including weather and the presence of the cold and flu season. As a result, donor ranks can be reduced and drives cancelled.

“There’s really a big shortage and we need to do as much as we can to help with that in our area,” Poindexter commented.

Donors for the drive represented a mix of members of the three agencies involved and persons they recruited to come and roll up their sleeves.

During the first Battle of the Badges Blood Drive in 2019, the Mount Airy Police Department won by one vote.

Given the two-year success of the effort, Poindexter said the plan is to make it an annual event.

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Mount Airy Fire Chief Zane Poindexter displays the trophy captured by his department during a “Battle of the Badges Blood Drive,” with American Red Cross representative Lynn Wilkes also pictured.

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_Battle-dat.jpgMount Airy Fire Chief Zane Poindexter displays the trophy captured by his department during a “Battle of the Badges Blood Drive,” with American Red Cross representative Lynn Wilkes also pictured.

Source

Source: https://www.mtairynews.com