VICSES personnel lend hand to Australia-wide blood drive

05/06/2024, 5:25 AM

VICSES Heidelberg Unit volunteer Emina Susic donated alongside VICSES Essendon Unit volunteer John Bates on Wednesday.

Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) volunteers and staff are set to roll up their sleeves to provide life-saving support of a different kind over winter, as part of Australia Red Cross Lifeblood’s Emergency Services Blood Drive.

Held annually between 1 June and 31 August, the blood drive unites emergency services donors from across the country, during a period when many regular blood donors are impacted by colds and flu.

With blood and plasma donations in significant demand across the country, emergency service members nation-wide are being encouraged to build on the 8,200 donors who supported the drive in 2023, when more than 13,900 donations were made.

VICSES Assistant Chief Officer, Readiness, Mark Cattell joined emergency service partner agencies at Lifeblood Australia’s Melbourne CBD Donor Centre on Wednesday to launch the initiative, alongside VICSES Essendon and Heidelberg Unit volunteers John Bates and Emina Susic.

Blood donations are subsequently used to treat patients facing a range of medical conditions, including cancer, severe anaemia, complications during childbirth, trauma and recovering from surgery.

A total of 18 different life-saving treatments are also developed through plasma donations, with up to 15 different plasma donations sometimes required to make a single dose of some specific plasma medicines.

Across the country, Lifeblood requires 1.6 million donations each year to meet demand for blood and blood products, equating to one blood donation every 18 seconds.

Throughout their lifetime, one in three Australians are expected to require blood or blood products, however, only one in 30 Australians donates.

To find out more about the Emergency Services Blood Drive, or to book an appointment, visit www.lifeblood.com.au/blood/donate-as-a-group/about-blood-drives.

Quotes attributable to VICSES Assistant Chief Officer, Readiness, Mark Cattell

“Donating blood products is another easy way for VICSES personnel to give back to their community and make a life-saving difference, as often as they like.

“With blood products in such high demand, the Emergency Services Blood Drive is a fantastic opportunity for the emergency service providers from across the country to come together in support of a common goal.

“It’s always fantastic to see VICSES’ orange uniforms feature prominently at donation centres across the state.

“When it comes to blood and plasma donations, every drop counts.”