Hoover police beat firefighters in bloody battle for second year in row

The Hoover Police Department defeated the Hoover Fire Department in a bloody battle at the Hoover Public Safety Center Wednesday.

The two public safety groups actually were in a friendly competition to see which agency could draw the most blood donors for an American Red Cross “Boots vs. Badges blood drive.

For the second year in a row, the Police Department won the contest, with 99 blood donors, compared to 82 for the Fire Department.

“Unfortunately, the police have beat us again,” said Scott West, the Fire Department’s emergency medical services officer and public information officer. “But this year, we did narrow the gap and overall collected more blood, which all goes to the same pool.”

Last year, the Police Department had 67 donors, compared to 36 for the Fire Department. The total number of donors who showed up increased from 103 last year to 181 this year — a 76 percent increase.

Because some of the donors were deferred for various reasons, the American Red Cross collected 171 pints of blood at the drive, Red Cross account manager Laura McCormick said.

Jehad Al-Dakka, the executive officer for the Police Department, said he was pleased with the results of the competition, but the most important thing was getting the blood donations.

The Red Cross said there is an emergency need for donors this summer, when donations typically decline due to people’s summer vacations. One blood donation can help save up to three lives, the organization said.

Susan McGettigan, a resident of the Meadow Brook community, was among the donors Wednesday. She said she heard about the drive and decided to come because it was a while since she had given blood. “It was just time to do it,” she said.

She has a friend who works for the Homewood Fire Department, so she let her donation count for the Hoover Fire Department’s tally, she said.

Sara Jablonski, who works in the state forensics lab at the Hoover Public Safety Center, made her blood donation for the Police Department this year. “I voted for the Fire Department last year,” she said. “I try to balance it out.” Her brother, Mark Jablonski, came with her, and gave the police another vote.