Bemidji Fire Department Works with Red Cross to Alleviate Blood Shortage

The Bemidji Fire Department partnered with the Red Cross on Friday to continue saving lives with a blood drive.

Organizations like the Red Cross have reported a decline in blood donations, which is causing a crisis. The Red Cross’ Northern District reportedly sees about six to seven drives a day. But donations are going down as people become busier during the summer months.

To counter this decrease, the Red Cross is increasing the number of drives they have per day.

“We’re trying to ramp up. We’ve got pop-up blood drives, and we’re trying to get as many people as we can and trying to get those reminders out there as well,” said Red Cross Collection Specialist Jarred Bahr. “There’s always a need for blood, so we’re happy to try to get as many teams out to different areas as we can in order to collect those units.”

If an organizations wishes to host a blood drive, they can call the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit the Red Cross website.

Donors can also download the Red Cross app to track their health history and where their donated blood goes.