Dallas Fire Rescue is the launch of a new blood program-NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

This month, Dallas Fire-rescue begins a new chapter with a pilot program, which can mean a difference between life and death of patients with injury.

DFR paramedics will soon start giving pre -hospital blood transfusions in ambulances, giving critical wounded patients a chance to fight before they reach the hospital.

According to a city note published last monthThe fire brigade has established cooperation with Parkland Health and American Red Cross to secure the necessary equipment and blood supply.

The Municipal Medical Director’s Office will provide clinical supervision over the pilot program, including training of DFR medical rescuers and EMS field supervisors. The red cross also helps to check fire facilities to make sure that everything depends on the standards.

According to the note based on the currently expected dates of completing the change of contract and visit to the site, the program is to be launched at the end of this month.

For now, the pilot will start with two response units – one at the fire brigade near Love Field, and the other at the 32 station in Pleasant Grove. They will both react to connections with trauma throughout the city, where blood transfusions can affect the cases of shootings, stabs, car accidents and other serious injuries.

After a six -month trial period, the program can increase throughout the city if it effectively increases the patient survival rate.

“By Dallas Fire Rescue, taking this challenge of pre -hospital transfusion, ultimately this will make wounded people when they reach hospitals, they were not as sick as otherwise,” said Courtney Edwards, director of Trauma, the community and biotel EMS at Parkland Health. “So we really work as a team to look after patients throughout the city.”

Edwards, who has been working in the Department of Trauma Parkland for 20 years, hopes that this pre -hospital transfusion program will set a new standard in Northern Texas.

About 180 fire brigades throughout the country accept similar programs, including Austin and San Antonio. However, in North Texas, only Frisco, Sachse and Parker County implemented such programs, despite the fact that Dallas-Fort was worth the fourth most populated region in the country.

According to Dallas Morning News In -depth report on this subjectHealth leaders refer to numerous competitive hospital systems, changing the needs of EMS agency and financing as a challenge for universal adoption.

The donation saves life

Another obstacle to such programs will be to maintain a constant blood supply.

Parkland officials emphasize that blood donations will be crucial for running such programs. The hospital is one of the largest blood product users in DFW.

“There is no other substitute than human blood. This is the only way – through the generosity of people who give – that you can really save lives – said Edwards. “How many people can say that by knowing and giving a few minutes of your day in the big plan of things, can you really help people and save lives?”

This winter season, most blood centers throughout the country see a decline in the collection due to diseases and/or incidents related to the weather. The challenge is that when high schools are not in the session, the collection centers are not able to organize these blood drives. Blood collected from high school drives contributes to up to 20% to annual collections.

January was the national month of blood donations to increase consciousness.

“From national statistics, every two seconds there is someone in the United States who needs a blood product,” said Edwards. “So it is absolutely needed.”

For more information on blood transmission in northern Texas, visit www.carterbloodcare.org. You can also Click here to search The nearest donation center from the Red Cross nearby.