South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has teamed up with NHS Blood and Transplant to provide venues for local communities to attend blood donation sessions.

The first session took place at Doncaster fire station last week which proved to be a popular venue for the lifesaving sessions.

The fire station’s appliance bay was temporarily adapted while the sessions took place, with health screening areas and a number of beds in place so that NHS Blood and Transplant staff could welcome donors and perform blood donation procedures. The fire engines were parked on a different part of the site during the session but the crew was still available to attend incidents as usual.

Station Manager Claire Duke, who has been working on this project, said: “We hope that the sessions at Doncaster station will be the first of many we can provide for the NHS Blood and Transplant who are always on the lookout for new venues across the county. We are already planning more sessions at other fire stations in South Yorkshire in the near future.”

Chief Nurse and Assistant Director of Blood Donation Jane Green emphasised the value of the project: “We are extremely grateful to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for allowing us to use their Fire Stations for blood donation sessions free of charge. This initiative goes a long way to reduce our venue hire cost which in turn means that we can continue providing blood products to hospitals at sustainable cost. Fire Stations are also at the heart of the communities and easily accessible for our donors which enhances their donation experience.”

A number of future sessions are planned at Doncaster fire station on:

17 April 2018
10 July 2018
03 August 2018

All will run from 11am – 7:30pm

If you are interested in attending one of these sessions please register and book your appointment by visiting www.blood.co.uk website or alternatively call 0300 123 2323.