Battle of First Responders for 18th annual Guns ‘n Hoses Blood Drive

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - The Rapid City Police Department and The Rapid City Fire Department will be coming together for the 18th Annual Guns n Roses Blood Drive beginning on Tuesday, June 20. Usually, these first responders work side by side for community emergencies but for this community cause they will become competitors to see who can get the most people to donate blood.

The annual blood drive, hosted by Vitalant will take place at Uptown, The Rushmore Mall in the skylight area by the JC Penney and will begin on Tuesday, June 20th through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Friday, June 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Walk-ins are welcome and each donor will receive a T-shirt and refreshments, while supplies last. Donors will automatically be entered into door prize drawings and automatically be entered in the National-wide drawing for one of two $10,000 gift cards redeemable via email. For an appointment call 877-25-VITAL or visit their website.

For those keeping scores, this yearly competition now has the RCPD ahead 9 to 8 over RCFD.

With staff shortages last year the units collected were down but this year with plenty of staff, the RCFD has a goal of drawing more than 800 pints of blood collected this year. Blood donations decrease during the summer months although patients in the hospitals still need those lifesaving units. Donating at Guns N’ Hoses will help ensure a successful start to the summer blood supply. Many eligibility requirements have changed over the last few years. We highly encourage all donors, even if you’ve been told before you can’t donate blood, so please check again by calling 877-25-VITAL. It’s the blood already on the shelf that helps in an emergency. That’s why it’s crucial to always maintain a safe and ready supply.

There’s a need for donors of all blood types and donors do not need to know their blood type to donate.

Watch the video above for the full interview.

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