Crime commission recommends Birmingham Fire and Rescue expand blood program to save more gunshot victims
In the near future, Birmingham's Crime Commission panel wants to see more EMS supervisors on the scene transferring blood to trauma victims to prevent death.
The panel makes this recommendation, hoping this will help the city fight against crime.
鈥淲e want to expand it because it is a valuable asset to the city and does help reduce the deaths from gunshot violence or any other violence,鈥� Capt. Jonathan Danzer, with the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services Department, said.
Danzer says the department is already working to expand its current pre-hospital whole blood program. Right now, they only have one person, working out of Fire Station One going to scenes and administering blood when needed.
"That's why we're trying to double our resources, so it diminishes them coming all the way across town and get there quicker,鈥� Danzer said.
Dr. Will Ferguson is the medical director at the fire department. He helped start the program in 2023. He says since then, they've saved 91 people who were either shot, in a car accident or experienced something else traumatic.
鈥淲e've seen people that were Perrier rest almost dying in front of you, alternate unresponsive, just receive a unit of whole blood, and you start getting that in them. In three to five minutes, they wake up, they start calling you names. That's appropriate. That's saving lives,鈥� Ferguson said.
Danzer says the department would ultimately have to create a new position to keep saving lives across the city and then place this person at another fire station where help is needed.
鈥淲e鈥檇 look at a map where all the gunshot victims are, a majority of them, and start making a decision based on the data,鈥� Danzer said.
Danzer says the department is in the process of looking at its budget right now. The goal is to move a lieutenant into the EMS supervisor position, and then they'll backfill the lieutenant's position.
He said, in a few months, the chief will have to present his findings to the mayor at some point.