WESTFIELD – Local emergency responders will take on a life-saving challenge of a different kind this week when Noble Hospital hosts the third annual Guns vs. Hoses Blood Donor Challenge.
The contest pits the city’s firefighters and police officers against each other in a friendly competition to help their community by vying to outdo each other for the amount of blood donated to the hospital’s blood bank.
Guns vs. Hoses is important to the local community as it benefits the hospital’s Blood Donor Center which serves Westfield and the surrounding towns.
“What makes this event different from many of the other local blood drives is that all of the blood collected will be used exclusively at Noble Hospital to help people in the Westfield area,” said Joan Murphy, transfusion services and microbiology supervisor at the hospital.
The previous two contests have brought in 60 units of blood to the department which typically needs between 100-120 units of blood every month. Murphy also noted that collecting blood locally is advantageous to the hospital in a couple of ways.
A local supply of blood is a safer supply, she said, and it is less expensive for the hospital than bringing in blood from outside sources.
The event is an entertaining way for the departments to help out the community.
“The event is a great way to support the blood supply in our local hospital,” said Fire Chief Mary Regan.
Police Captain Michael McCabe weighed in saying, “The Police Department is willing to bleed for its community and they’re willing to put their arms where their mouths are.”
The event is a friendly challenge and, although there is no tangible prize, the winner does earn some bragging rights.
The police are the defending champions having won the event the past two years but Regan is hoping that changes this year.
“We’ve had to listen to it (police bragging) for a few years now,” she said but she added “while it is a competition there are no losers because the hospital ends up with a good supply of blood.”
Tomorrow’s event is sponsored by the hospital, Westfield Emergency Physicians and the city’s Subway restaurants, which will provide gift cards for all participants, as well as a “goodie bag”.
As an extra incentive, one donor from the winning team will be chosen to receive four tickets to a regular season Patriots football game.
A set of four tickets to a pre-season Patriots game will be awarded to a member of the other team.
