The Washington Township fire and police departments joined forces for the fourth consecutive year to host the Battle of the Badges blood drive on May 3 at the township senior center.
The fundraiser began in 2017, when the two departments went head to head to see who could collect the most pints of blood during the Red Cross-sponsored drive. This year, the fire department pulled off its second win. Total pints collected were 68 for the fire department and 65 for the police.
“I think the number-one thing is that the blood is going to save someone’s life, whether it is a cancer patient, a trauma patient involved in an accident, someone will need that blood,” said Fire Chief Patrick Dolgos.
“It is so critical, and having a friendly competition just makes it fun,” he added. “And we know that at the end of the day, no matter who wins, we are all winners for getting people to donate.”
Both township departments had display tables at the senior center with valuable information, from upcoming events to giveaways like key chains and children’s fighter helmets. The police had several activities to promote, from community caretaking events like Cops and Bobbers and Cool Off With a Cop to tennis camp and the Junior Police Academy. The fire department also had displays of signed Philadelphia sports memorabilia.
While that department is planning for fire prevention month in October, it still makes a point to visit places across the township to speak about fire protection and prevention. Two recent programs included an assembly for high-school seniors where Fire Prevention Coordinator Adam Seczech spoke about college fire prevention in dorms and other housing and how students can stay safe during overcrowded events and activities.
“We talked about drunk driving and distracted driving and personal calls that I have been on,” said Seczech. “It went pretty well, and at the end, you can see that they are all a little shell shocked, but they come up and talk to us after.”
The fire department will soon visit the senior center to address fire safety, and it continues a free smoke detector program that has seen distribution of more than 1,500 smoke detectors to township residents.
To find the next upcoming Red Cross blood drive in the area or find out how to host one, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org.
