Fire departments gear up for annual Bucket Brigade

Give blood in Geyserville Jan. 4, in Healdsburg Jan. 15
Fire departments across Northern California are gearing up for the seventh annual North Bay Bucket Brigade asking donors to come out, have a meal and donate.
The yearly blood drive is a challenge between departments to see who can bring in the most donations for the Blood Centers of the Pacific. For the last three years, Windsor Fire Protection District has held the title.
“It is something that a lot of the people in the community are aware of and we have had a really good turnout for the last three years,” said Windsor Fire Captain Dean Crothers.
The drive is now being organized by the Blood Centers of the Pacific who took over for Blood Bank of the Redwoods last summer. The Blood Centers of the Pacific serves 50 hospitals from San Francisco and the South Bay all the way up to the Oregon border. The Bucket Brigade takes place in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties and donors of all ages are encouraged to participate.
Last year was the first year of the company’s transition and staying on schedule and getting donors in on time during the drives was difficult but organizers said that they have worked out the kinks and that this year should be a success.
“Because there are so many people showing up, there is going to be a wait, that is why we feed people when they are there and entertain them the best we can,” Crothers said.
The Windsor Fire Department will be hosting both breakfast and lunch that day. On-duty staff will be there to visit with and show people around the station.
“The cause is greater than a little inconvenience to us, it is well worth waiting if that’s what it takes, you could save somebody’s life,” said Crothers.
The North Bay Bucket Brigade was created by the Blood Bank of the Redwoods and is being carried on by the Blood Centers of the Pacific.
“The obvious is that firefighters are competitive, by nature, but I think that because of our field when you are out there and we see what we see, then I think it is just a natural to find a way to give back to help those in need,” Crothers said.
“There are a ton of people out there that can (help) and do on a regular basis, you want to talk about heroes, those are your life heroes right there, willing to put out an arm, go through some minor pain and inconvenience to sit there to help,” he said.
The Healdsburg Fire Department will also host their drive for the Bucket Brigade next month and are encouraging residents to participate.
“Throughout the year we do everything we can to support that organization (Blood Centers of the Pacific) and this is just another great opportunity for everybody to chip in through a good healthy competition and we try to get as many donors as possible to support that,” said Healdsburg Fire Chief Steve Adams.
“More importantly, to save as many lives as possible. That is what is truly important is to have a good bank of blood for those out there that need it,” he said.
Blood Centers of the Pacific needs more than 500 blood donors a day to meet the demand for blood
“We look forward to seeing a lot of Healdsburg residents participating in this event, put us on top this year,” Adams said.
The Healdsburg Fire Department will provide hotdogs and hamburgers for donors during their visit along with station tours.
The Blood Centers of Pacific staff recommends that donors are well hydrated and have eaten a hardy meal the day that they donate. A valid form of identification, preferably a driver’s license, will be required.
 Blood Centers of the Pacific was started by two San Francisco physicians in the early 40s, as Irwin Memorial Blood Bank, and was the first nonprofit community blood bank in the nation. The organization grew to incorporated Northern California and in 1955 opened their headquarters on Masonic and Turk streets in San Francisco where it remains today.
Since Blood Centers of the Pacific took over, blood donated locally stays in the area along with donations brought in from other areas to make up the difference.     
“The blood bank is really who wins out of this,” said Geyserville Fire Captain Joe Stewart about the completion, “but we are pretty proud our little community can come in second next to large communities and that we can be apart of the drive this time of year when it is really needed.”
Donors interested in participating in the Bucket Brigade are encouraged to pre-register for an appointment by visiting www.bloodheroes.com.
Donations dates: Geyserville Fire House, Jan. 4, 2:30-7:30 p.m. Healdsburg Fire Department, Jan. 15, 2-7 p.m. Windsor Fire Station #2, Jan. 19, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.