Boca Raton Fire Rescue crews have carried whole blood since a new program started this summer, and paramedics say it is changing how they treat patients before they reach a hospital. The program is run in partnership with Palm Beach Health Network.
According to Red Cross Blood Services, whole blood is blood as it flows through the body, with none of its components separated or removed. Kacper Palej, a Boca Raton firefighter paramedic, said the option gives crews a stronger tool on scene.
The program was used for the first time on Jo Thomas, who was critically injured in a motorcycle crash this summer. Thomas said he was thrown from his bike into a crosswalk pole, and that getting blood into a patient who is bleeding badly can keep them alive until they reach a hospital.
Months later, Thomas returned to the fire station. Crew members who responded to his crash received a firefighter challenge coin, and Steven Wright, a driver engineer, said he planned to share a meal with him.
Under a recent arrangement with Palm Beach Health Network, blood in fire rescue units that is close to expiring goes back to the network for patient care. In exchange, the crews receive fresh blood for future emergency calls.
