A blood donor may never know who they saved, but the recipient will never forget the gift.
That is the message emergency service workers are reminding people of as they roll up their sleeves for a donation drive.
Police, paramedics and firefighters teamed up to give blood on Thursday, May 28, at the mobile centre in Charlestown as part of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood's annual Emergency Services Blood Drive.
Newcastle police commander, Superintendent Kylie Endemi, was among the donors and said the annual event shone a light on the critical need for donations.
"Professionally, police and our emergency service colleagues deal with trauma every day and we see a real need for blood donations to save lives," she said.
"From a personal perspective, we've all been touched by illness and injury and see firsthand, unfortunately, what people go through.
"The fact is that blood donations save multiple lives and you might not know the person that you're contributing to in terms of their lifesaving efforts, but they never forget you and that is something people really should remember when they are rolling their sleeves up to donate blood."
NSW Ambulance paramedics were on the other end of the needle on Thursday. The organisation's associate director of clinical operations, Chief Superintendent Luke Wiseman, also donated.
"It's so important, especially for our significant trauma cases that we attend," he said.
Lifeblood is calling for donors with 'O' type blood, particularly negative, to donate to ensure reserves and supplies for people suffering from sickness or involved in emergencies.
Lifeblood said it can take up to 100 donations to help someone in an accident or emergency. It's understood about 50 units of blood were required at the scene of the traumatic Greta bus crash.
The Emergency Services Blood Drive runs from May 1 to July 31 each year and is a national competition between agencies.
Since the 2026 campaign began, more than 4571 donations have been made, helping to save an estimated 13,713 lives.
