Tiebreaker has prevailed in competition between the Killeen Police and Fire Departments
KILLEEN, Texas (Aug. 25, 2023) – The Killeen Police and Fire Departments brought in a record number of donors in the fifth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive on Aug. 24.
The City of Killeen partnered with Carter BloodCare for the third year in a row, bringing in 113 units of blood from 131 donors— that’s potentially 339 lives saved. It’s the highest number of donors we’ve received in our four years of hosting the event, and 33 more than our 2022 blood drive.
“This year’s event exceeded expectations,” Vickie Carpenter, Carter BloodCare Manager of Mobile Donor Recruitment said. “It was a fun competition bringing the Killeen community together! When all is said and done, the real winners are the patients whose lives this drive saved.”
Carter BloodcCare says Killeen’s Battle of the Badges Blood Drive is the largest one-day event like this in Central Texas. All blood remains local in Bell County, including the Veterans Administration Clinic.
Thursday’s event featured the ‘boots’ (Fire Department) versus the ‘badges’ (Police Department) and the public was invited to donate blood, then cast their vote for their favorite department.
This year, the Fire Department received 47.5 votes to the Police Department’s 83.5 votes (one person just couldn’t decide and split his/her vote into two). That means the Killeen Police Department is the tie breaker and KFD will have to wash the company vehicles of the Police Department. A date will be announced for the car wash.
The Police Department made a comeback, after winning in 2018 and 2019, then being outvoted in 2021 and 2022 by KFD.
We thank the community for their support and encourage everyone to continue to participate in future blood drives.