'Badges' blood drive battle nears

This is the city.

It will be another important time in mid-July for the community to donate blood in the Fallon Battle of the Badges Blood Drive at the convention center.

As our man Friday tells us, the Fallon Police Department is poised to defend its title from the 2022 drive after slipping past the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office. FPD also won the title in 2021 and received a trophy.

This year’s drive and competition is July 19-20 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Blood donors will receive a Battle of the Badges T-shirt.

The police department’s sixth win in the annual Battle of the Badges was aided by residents who donated blood and indicated their choice of agency to receive the blood. Last year 114 lifesaving blood units that benefitted more than 280 lives were collected. FPD collected 10 more units than CCSO.

Shannon Perez, one of the coordinators of the blood drive, said individuals who want to schedule an appointment should call Vitalant at 775-329-6461. She said slots may be harder to find for those who want to walk in to donate blood.

“We try our best with the walk-ins,” Perez said.

But if the interest is like last year’s, the blood drive had to turn away people who wanted to donate because all the slots were filled.

Perez and the group to which she belongs, Ladies Behind the Badge, have been a driving force in bring the blood drive to Fallon. She said in a prior interview that Vitalant, which was formerly known as United Blood Service, will draw the blood. In Northern Nevada, about 150 pints are needed each day.

Ladies Behind the Badge, said Perez, is an organization that includes spouses, significant others, girl or boy friends who help and support each other. The driving factor behind the organization involves a family member who works either for the police department or sheriff’s office.

The Ladies Behind the Badge support doesn’t just lie with the FPD or CCSO. Perez said the group will support other law enforcement agencies in case they require assistance.