Richland Fire Launches Blood on Board Program
Richland Fire and Emergency Services now carries blood to emergency scenes involving significant blood loss, becoming the first fire-based EMS agency in Eastern Washington to do so.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Emergency Response
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Richland Fire and Emergency Services launched its Blood on Board pre-hospital blood transfusion program in mid-October. The department now dispatches blood to emergencies involving significant blood loss, carried in a specialized cooler in the on-duty battalion chief's vehicle.
Why it matters
The program places blood products in the field before patients reach a hospital, which can matter most in severe bleeding injuries. Richland's move makes it the first fire-based EMS agency in Eastern Washington to bring blood into the field, offering residents of the city and the surrounding region a new emergency resource.
The spring blood drive supporting the program collected 144 units, the largest single-day total in the state. The department plans to host blood drives twice a year, but the number of field deployments since mid-October has not been reported.
The players
Richland Fire and Emergency Services
The municipal fire and emergency medical agency serving the city of Richland, Washington, which launched the program.
American Red Cross
The national nonprofit humanitarian organization that supplies the blood products used by the Richland program.
The details
Blood is carried in a specialized cooler in the on-duty battalion chief's vehicle and dispatched to scenes where patients have lost significant blood. The department partners with the American Red Cross to supply the blood products used in the program.
Timeline
Spring 2026: A blood drive collected 144 units to support the program.
Mid-October 2026: The Blood on Board program became officially operational.
November 23, 2026: A second blood drive takes place at Richland Fire Station 74.
Emergency Response Trend
Carrying blood into the field places fire-based EMS agencies closer to the blood-loss care traditionally delivered only after hospital arrival. Richland's program extends this model into Eastern Washington, where it had not been used by fire-based agencies before.
Residents who want to support the program can donate at the upcoming November 23 blood drive at Richland Fire Station 74. Donors help keep blood available for emergencies involving significant blood loss in the Richland area.
The takeaway
Carrying blood to the scene can shorten the time a severely bleeding patient waits for treatment. Residents can help sustain the program by donating at the scheduled drives.
What happens next
A second blood drive is scheduled for November 23, 2026, at Richland Fire Station 74, with the department planning to hold drives twice a year.
Further reading
Explore more emergency response coverage to see how agencies prepare for and respond to critical incidents.
More information
Register for the upcoming drive through the Richland Fire blood drive registration page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.
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