Sarasota County Fire Department to provide whole blood on emergency scenes

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

SARASOTA COUNTY – In alignment with its mission of saving lives, the Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) has partnered with SunCoast Blood Centers to implement a groundbreaking prehospital whole blood transfusion program. This initiative aims to provide life-saving blood transfusions to patients suffering from severe bleeding or traumatic injuries before they arrive at the hospital.

“Our Firefighter/EMTs and Firefighter/Paramedics perform life-saving interventions every day across Sarasota County and transport more than 100 patients a day to local hospitals,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun. “Adding this tool in their EMS toolkit will help us to save even more lives in our community.”

Under this program, SCFD EMS Captains are trained to administer whole blood transfusions directly at the scene. Whole blood refers to blood that remains complete, with no components like plasma removed, making it highly effective for treating patients with major blood loos. Traditionally, normal saline has been used as a replacement fluid for patients experiencing significant blood loss. Whole blood transfusions better address the critical need to replenish lost blood, improving survival rates for these patients.

Delivered in a sterile, warm, and safe manner, this advanced procedure offers a much better chance of survival during emergencies.

Blood collected and supplied by the SunCoast Blood Centers is stored in temperature-controlled, monitored medical storage devices and made available to SCFD EMS Captains. TheseCaptains can carry the blood to medical incidents, ensuring life-saving transfusions happen immediately.

Thanks to SunCoast Blood Centers and generous blood donors, the transfusion of patients by SCFD EMS Captains will increase the chance of surviving a devastating blood loss injury, more than doubling the odds of surviving and making it home from the hospital.

Scott Bush, CEO of SunCoast Blood Bank, emphasized the importance of this program:

“These transfusions have been instrumental in cardiac patients making full recoveries and kept hemorrhaging patients from bleeding out. However, supplies are limited, so we must reserve this procedure for the most critical of patients.”

The innovative partnership aligns the Sarasota County Fire Department and SunCoast Blood Centers with cutting-edge emergency medical practices, increasing survival rates in critical situations. Early whole blood transfusions have the potential to double the odds of surviving severe blood loss injuries, helping more patients return home.

As the program evolves, SCFD anticipates improved outcomes for trauma cases across Sarasota County.

How to Donate:

Community members can support this life-saving initiative by donating whole blood and specifically stating this is for the SCFD whole blood program. Whole blood donation takes around 15 minutes and can be completed every 56 days. Learn more about donor eligibility on the SunCoast Blood Center website.

Those individuals who can donate, can do so by:

Visiting the SCFD Fire Station 23 Open House on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 at 1930 N. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis,
Stopping by any SCFD Open House in 2025. Dates and locations of open house can be found here.
Visiting the nearest SunCoast Blood Center donation location by looking up a blood drive near on the SunCoast Blood Center website,
Call 1-866-97-BLOOD.

Journalists interested in learning more may attend the Fire Station 23 Open House on Saturday, Jan. 18. Please RSVP to [email protected] so interviews can be arranged.

For more information or to learn about prescribed burns, call 311 or visit scgov.net.