Blood donations in Mississauga and Brampton at an all-time low, officials say
Published June 17, 2022 at 1:25 pm
Mississauga firefighters are helping to kick off a blood donation campaign on Monday (June 20) in Brampton as life-saving blood supplies are at an all-time low across the region.
“The need for blood and plasma never takes a vacation and donations are currently at an all-time low,” City of Mississauga officials said in a press release. “To help increase the supply of blood and plasma and to encourage community members to donate, Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services (members) are rolling up their sleeves and showing how a simple action can mean so much.”
Mississauga Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi and other members of Mississauga’s fire department will be at the Brampton Plasma Centre on Monday morning to help kick off the annual Sirens for Life Campaign.
The national initiative is held in partnership with Canadian Blood Services (CBS) and, locally, other first responders in Mississauga and Brampton.
It engages first responders to help save lives through plasma and blood donation and by raising awareness of the importance of stem cell and organ and tissue donation.
As usual, Mississauga firefighters will compete with other first responders in Peel and beyond in a friendly competition to see which organization can donate the most blood during the campaign.
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Last year, Mississauga firefighters came out on top in the regional blood donation competition.
According to CBS, it needs 100,000 new blood, plasma and platelet donors to join Canada’s Lifeline by the end of this year.
“Throughout the pandemic, the number of people across Canada who donate regularly has decreased by 31,000, resulting in the smallest donor base in a decade,” the press release noted.
Residents can help out by calling 1-888-2-DONATE or visiting blood.ca to make an appointment. When doing so, people can indicate they’re making the donation in the name of Mississauga firefighters or another first responder organization under the Sirens for Life Campaign.
Mississauga fire officials are helping to kick off this year’s Sirens for Life Campaign in efforts to get more blood donations. Officials are shown above during last year’s campaign.
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