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FAST DUDE WEBSITES DOMINICK A. PUCCI III
"Serving the citizens of Grand Gorge since 1959"
100% VOLUNTEER 100% OF THE TIME
GRAND GORGE RESCUE SQUAD
Steps Up to the Plate
When the Grand Gorge Rescue Squad was contacted by Jill Hoekstra Account Manager at the American Red Cross- Blood Services regarding the blood supply in our region, they immediately agreed to sponsor periodic blood drives at the Grand Gorge Fire House. Posters are placed in and around the community and ARC canvasses the area for those willing to donate.
Pictured is Wink Hinkley - 1st Assistant Chief of the Grand Gorge Fire Department.. Wink responded to the urgent need for blood and is a "double red cell" donor. In a traditional blood donation, donors give whole blood-which consists of red cells, plasma and platelets. With the automated process called double red cell donation, donors can give just red cells-but two units of red cells-and that's the component of
blood that is in the greatest demand.
Blood donors who give four or six times a year like double red cell donation because they can cut their visits to the blood center in half, and still do just as much good for the community. People who give blood two or three times a year can stay on that same schedule, but double the effectiveness of their blood donation.
Donors say the automated double red cell donation is more comfortable than regular whole blood donations because a smaller needle is used. Donors also receive back their own plasma and about a pint of saline, leaving them better hydrated than before the donation.
Along with meeting the regular blood donor qualifications, double red cell donors must meet special requirements. Men must weigh at least 130 lbs. and be at least 5'1", while women must weigh at least 150 lbs., and be at least 5'5" tall. Those qualifications might seem backwards, but they're not. That's because men's bodies carry a greater blood volume than women's bodies. So, generally speaking, a man who is 5'1" and weighs 130 has about the same blood volume as a woman who is 5'5: and weighs 150. Our qualifications are based on blood volume-which we've translated to height
and weight.
If you would like to donate, you can contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-GIVELIFE for information on the next blood drive in your area or Grand Gorge Rescue Squad Co-Captains Karen Hinkley at 607-588-6281 or Dottie Carroll at 607-588-6962 if you are willing to donate at our location during our next drive - date/times to be determined.
