Warren County Ambulance District will celebrate National EMS Week May 20-26 with a slew of community events, the highlight of which is an annual blood drive at the Warrenton Elks Lodge Thursday, May 24.The blood drive collects donations of blood for the American Red Cross, and is timed to coincide with Memorial Day weekend. Blood donations are particularly valuable over that weekend, said Tim Flake, the assistant administrator for the ambulance district. Increased car traffic over the holiday means more crashes, which increases the need for blood transfusions for injured patients.Many EMS personnel donate blood as part of their mission of service to the community, he said.Health services vendors also will be at the blood drive, along with St. Louis Cardinals’ mascot Fredbird. The blood drive will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 24 at the Elks Lodge (Fredbird will be there from 2-4 p.m.).Anyone interested in giving blood can schedule an appointment ahead of time by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or going to the website RedCrossBlood.org and entering “WarrenCo” in the Find a Blood Drive search field.Organizers recommend potential donors check the website to get more information, especially because certain donor restrictions might have loosened in recent years.A number of other events will come together during EMS Week. The ambulance staff themselves will be more noticeable than usual, wearing bright green shirts.A staff luncheon is a tradition, and medics will be among those participating in the annual Special Olympics Torch Run that will travel from Foristell to Warrenton May 25.Flake and other EMS staff will be among those who volunteer to set up and take down American flags over the graves of veterans at Wright City Cemetery Memorial Day weekend.Several school-related visits are also in the works, said executive assistant Jackie Stewart. That will include stops at local preschools, and visiting with the winners of the ambulance district’s yearly coloring contest.Staff have been sorting through over 1,300 entries of colored ambulance pictures ahead of next week, and selected one winner from each participating school. Stewart said a grand prize winner from among those selected will win a ride in an ambulance.Warren County Ambulance District employs around 50 full- and part-time staff members, said Stewart.Flake added that the EMS Week events create a busy time for staff.“All this is going on at the same time they’re still running 350 average calls per month,” he said.

Donors with Warren County Ambulance District give blood during a previous year's blood drive for the American Red Cross.

Submitted photo