Dallas Fire-Rescue is expanding a blood program officials say has saved dozens of lives in its first year.
The department will now equip more supervisors each shift with supplies of blood they can administer in the field during emergencies.
“Without the early intervention of the blood transfusion, the chances of survival are slim to none,” Dallas Fire Rescue Chief Justin Ball said during a news conference Tuesday.
The program first started in 2025 with two supervisors carrying special temperature-controlled coolers filled with two pints of blood, he said. With a donation from the nonprofit Safer Dallas, Better Dallas, the department has purchased three additional coolers, blood-warming units and necessary tubing. Ball said seven EMS officers can now deliver blood.
“With having seven, this gives us a range that we’re hoping between 10 and 15 minutes to get there from when they’re called,” he said.
Within the last year, the program has saved 34 lives, Ball said, including a mother who was two months postpartum.
“She credited the blood program with saving her life and allowing to continue to be a mother to her baby,” Ball said.
Three weeks ago, Dallas Fire Rescue administered blood to a 10-year-old child, the first pediatric case.
Before the program started, paramedics could only provide saline and rush patients to the hospital. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says prehospital blood transfusions can improve patient outcomes, increase EMS capabilities and help reduce roadway fatalities. Other North Texas cities with similar programs include Fort Worth, Arlington, Midlothian and Sachse, according to the Prehospital Blood Transfusion Coalition.
DFR Section Chief Chris Chiara said supervisors are dispatched to the most high-need patients, including potential gunshot or stabbing victims, “to get it to the right person on the right call in the right amount of time.”
Any blood that isn’t used within its four-week shelf life is returned to Parkland Health, so it is not wasted, he said.
“Once we get within four or five days of its expiration date, what we do is recycle it back to Parkland Hospital where they will use it within one to two days during elective surgeries or just in the normal course of business,” he said. "Then simultaneously we're receiving units with updated shelf lifes.”
Dr. Marshall Isaacs, medical director for the department, said a total of 74 units of blood have been administered to 40 patients over the past year. He says Safer Dallas, Better Dallas has saved time for EMS workers because of their donations.
“This blood transfusion program is only as good as our ability to get to these patients in the right amount of time,” Isaacs said. “Without that, we’re unable to save more lives so we’re very grateful.”
Avery Escamilla-Wendell is KERA’s news intern. Got a tip? Email Avery at aescamillawendell@kera.org. You can follow heron Instagram @by_avery_escamilla.
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