A new partnership between Boca Raton Fire Rescue and Palm Beach Health Network is strengthening a whole blood program that has already saved lives in the field this summer.
Boca Raton's fire rescue crews have had access to whole blood since a new program kicked off this summer; paramedics say the capability is transforming how they treat patients before they reach the hospital.
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Boca Raton expands whole blood programAccording to Red Cross Blood Services, whole blood is blood as it flows in our bodies, with none of its components separated or removed.
"Whole blood has been shown to save lives, and now that we have the capability in our arsenal, it's a world of difference in treating patients and getting the right care," Kacper Palej, Boca Raton firefighter paramedic, said.
Jo Thomas was critically injured in a motorcycle crash this summer. Crews administered whole blood for the first time under the new program.
"I've been told I got flown from the bike into a crosswalk pole about 20 to 30 feet and then hit a crosswalk pole with my body," Thomas said. "When somebody's bleeding out on the street, the one thing that will really help out is being able to feed blood back into them to keep them alive, just until they can make it to the hospital to be fully treated."
Months later, Thomas is surrounded by fire rescue again, but for a different reason. Crew members who responded to his crash call received a firefighter challenge coin as a token of appreciation.
"Seeing him walking into the station today and we're gonna go and have something to eat, break bread with him... It's a great day," Steven Wright, driver engineer, said.
A recent partnership with Palm Beach Health Network now means that when blood in fire rescue units is close to expiring, crews return it to Palm Beach Health Network for patient care. In exchange, crews receive fresh blood for future emergency calls.
