VFD wins Annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive

On Thursday, July 26, the Valdosta Fire and Police Departments hosted the Annual Battle of the Badges — Guns vs. Hoses — Blood Drive.

The friendly interdepartmental competition, which was open to the public, seeks to aid the American Red Cross in their life-saving efforts.

This year, the Valdosta Fire Department attracted the most donors. Each year the winner earns bragging rights and a trophy. The competition is based on a friendly wager that other team will now be required to wash a number of safety vehicles. When all is said and done, the American Red Cross and the recipients of the donations are the true winners. There were 56 donors who participated in the blood drive and 46 units of blood were collected.

"This year we want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us, we had a great turnout. In the end, the community was the big winner because we collected 46 pints of blood, which is great," said Valdosta Fire Chief, Freddie Broome.

City employees, retirees, and their family members and friends, as well as members of the general public, came out to give the gift of life at the event. Blood donors were asked when they arrive which team they supported for the competition.

"At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to make sure we have blood for people who need it. Maybe next year we can increase the number of donors but 46 donors is incredible, it's more than we had during the previous year," said Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress.

Thanks to the generous support from Sam's Club and Pepsi, lunch was provided for those that donated. Direct Accommodations also donated $300 in travel vouchers for two donors, one city employee and one citizen, selected in a random drawing.