By Larissa Unruh, MD, MPH
Director of Education and Training, National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH)
In the United States, trauma remains the leading cause of death for individuals under 45 years of age, with exsanguination—the rapid loss of blood—being a key factor in these preventable deaths. Every year, thousands of lives are lost because prehospital care is ill-equipped to manage severe bleeding. But there is hope. Prehospital blood transfusion—administered by emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians—has proven to be one of the most effective ways to reduce mortality in trauma and medical exsanguination patients. This EMS Week, the EMS community can shine a critical spotlight on the life-saving potential of prehospital blood administration.
Hundreds of first-hand accounts document the difference that prehospital blood can make to critical patients. When a trauma or medical patient is losing blood quickly, the most effective treatment to prevent death is the prompt administration of blood, instead of saline fluids. In the field, EMS teams may have to stabilize critically injured patients for what feels like an eternity prior to reaching a hospital. By administering blood products early—even before arrival to the emergency department—EMS teams can dramatically increase a patient’s chances of survival.₁
The benefits of prehospital whole blood are not simply anecdotal. Research from military combat care has shown that administering blood products—specifically whole blood—within the first few hours after a severe trauma can significantly improve patient survival rates. Whole blood provides the necessary red blood cells, plasma, and platelets, to help stop bleeding while maintaining circulation, and increasing oxygen delivery to the body, all of which are crucial for effectively treating patients suffering from traumatic and medical exsanguination.
To maximize the lifesaving potential of pre-hospital blood transfusions, we need to ensure two things: 1) that EMS personnel are permitted and even encouraged to administer blood products outside of the hospital and 2) that blood is available when and where it is needed.
National EMS Week, taking place from May 18-24, 2025, seeks to honor our country’s EMS clinicians for the hard work they do and educate our communities about the critical role of EMS. One thing EMS agencies can do to get involved in their communities and increase awareness about the importance of prehospital blood transfusions is by hosting a blood drive during EMS Week.
The 2025 EMS Week Blood Drive is a national initiative that aims to build a nationwide network of hospital, EMS organizations, and blood centers dedicated to ensuring our EMS teams have the blood they need to save lives. By supporting this initiative, we are ensuring that trauma and medical patients—whether in rural or urban areas—have the blood they need in the critical early moments of care.
The importance of blood donation cannot be overstated. One donation can save up to three lives and can make all the difference for a trauma patient whose life hangs in the balance. This is particularly true when we consider blood’s short shelf life—red blood cells last only about 42 days and platelets last just five. Those factors highlight why the 2025 EMS Week Blood Drive is crucial in ensuring that we continue to increase the supply of blood.
The 2025 EMS Week Blood Drive is also about fostering community engagement and participation. Across the nation, EMS agencies, hospitals, local blood banks, and other organizations will be working together to collect blood donations during this week-long event.
For EMS professionals, this drive offers a unique opportunity to involve the public in their life-saving work. Local organizations, schools, businesses, and volunteer groups can join the effort, making this more than just a call for blood—but a rallying cry for solidarity. Communities that come together to donate blood are giving more than just the blood; they are giving hope, they are giving life, and they are making an impact that resonates far beyond the walls of a hospital or ambulance.
As an EMS professional you play a key role in this blood drive effort. If you have ever thought about donating blood, now is the time to do it and encourage your community to do the same. The 2025 EMS Week Blood Drive is not just an event for EMS professionals—it is a national movement. Your donation ensures that when patients need blood emergently, EMS teams have the critical resources they need to save lives. Whether you are a seasoned EMS professional or a concerned citizen, your participation matters. Help us make a difference. Help us save lives.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Join the 2025 EMS Week Blood Drive. Donate blood. Save a life.
Register your organization for a blood drive today! 2025 EMS Week Blood Drive
1. Prehospital Hemorrhage Control and Treatment by Clinicians: A Joint Position Statement, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, and National Association of EMS Physicians, Revised August 2022.