In emergency medical situations, there is often very little time to spare. By providing lifesaving treatment on the scene, a new partnership between the American Red Cross and the Vanderburgh County Fire Department ensures that advanced medical care begins when every moment is a matter of life or death.

Severe post-traumatic bleeding remains one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. This new prehospital transfusion program will allow first responders with the department to begin critical treatment sooner, giving patients a better chance of survival before even arriving at a hospital.

“Emerging research has shown that administering blood transfusions as early as possible can improve patient outcomes by helping prevent intractable bleeding, or bleeding that is difficult to stop,” said Southwest Chapter Executive Director Beth Sweeney.

The Red Cross will supply the Vanderburgh County Fire Department with packed Red Blood Cells and liquid plasma used to treat bleeding patients in emergency situations.

“We are no longer just racing the clock,” said Captain Ryan Bosecker with the Vanderburgh County Fire Department. “We are actually buying back time.”

In the past several years, the Red Cross has experienced significant growth in demand for universal type O blood products that can be transfused on the way to hospitals, particularly with air ambulances and EMS providers. This is in addition to supporting the on-going high demand of type O blood products to treat hospitalized patients.

Type O negative is known as the universal blood type. While O-negative patients can only receive O negative blood, their blood can be safely given to any other type. Due to its versatility, O negative is in high demand and is the most common blood type used for transfusions when the blood type is unknown. This is why it is used most often in cases of trauma, emergency, surgery and any situation where blood type is unknown.  

While only 7% of the population has O negative blood, 38% of the population has type O positive blood, which makes it the most common. O positive red blood cells are not universally compatible to all types, but they are compatible to any red blood cells that are positive (A+, B+, O+, AB+). More than 80% of the population has a positive blood type and can receive O positive blood, which is why it is given to patients more than any other blood type. Since O positive is considered the most needed blood type, it is also one of the first to run out during a shortage due to its high demand. 

The American Red Cross is the nation’s single largest blood supplier and provides approximately 40% of the U.S. blood supply. It has the national infrastructure, distribution network, and collection capacity to support prehospital programs without displacing hospital needs.

The Southwest Chapter also has a longstanding partnership with Ascension St. Vincent and is grateful for its collaboration with the Vanderburgh County Fire Department as the program launches. Not only will first responders use Red Cross blood products to help save lives after critical incidents, but the fire department will provide unused, short-dated blood products to the hospital before expiration whenever possible. This ensures that valuable blood donations are maximized and used to benefit patients in need.

“We also want to recognize the generosity of our blood donors,” Sweeney said. “Every blood donation has the potential to save lives, and their support helps ensure a stable supply of blood products for patients both in hospitals and in prehospital emergency settings. Together, we are strengthening our community's ability to respond when every second matters.”

The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Every day, volunteer blood donors across the country are needed to help save lives. The Red Cross needs to collect about 12,500 blood donations and nearly 3,000 platelet donations each day to meet the needs of patients at about 2,500 hospitals and other facilities across the country.

The American Red Cross Indiana Region has similar prehospital transfusion programs across the state with Three Rivers Ambulance Authority, Vernon Township Fire Department and LaPorte County EMS. 

Written by Michael Van Schoik, Regional Communications Manager.