COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) held a blood drive at Fire Station 19 on Wednesday, the first of four blood drives they plan to host this year.
The department says the blood drive will help hospitals and blood banks in the Pikes Peak region treat patients.
They will also use some of the blood donated Wednesday for in-field use. CSFD is the only fire department in the state that has blood on hand during an emergency.
WATCH: Whole blood, the newest lifesaving tool for CSFD
The department says this practice helps in all areas of medical care because they treat someone in critical condition.
"We're doing something that we feel is a life-saving tool and we want to show that to our community and say, 'Hey, we can all partner together and you can donate blood and we can give that blood to save your brother or your sister or your mom,' and that's what really inspired us was that full circle approach," said Ashley Franco, Public Information Officer for CSFD.
The next blood drive is scheduled for May 7. For a full list of scheduled blood drives this year, visit the City of Colorado Springs website.
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