Saving even more lives

By Lethbridge Herald on September 9, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

Lethbridge Police Service and Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services have joined forces to save even more lives than they already do, by taking part of the Canadian Blood Services’ national Sirens for Life campaign. 

On Monday, LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh and LFES Chief Greg Adair made their own contributions to the campaign by donating plasma at the Lethbridge Plasma Donor Centre in hopes to encourage members of the community to do the same. 

Lisa Castro, community development manager for Canadian Blood Services, said they are incredibly grateful to have the support of first responders. 

“What we are trying to do is to engage the community to support us and to experience what you get when you give,” said Castro. 

Donations are not just about saving lives, she said, but about making an impact within the community and across the country.

“Here in Lethbridge at any given day we need anywhere from 70 to 100 donors every day of the week except Sundays when we close,” said Castro. 

Every donation to The Sirens for Life campaign helps. Fifty donors can help save one crash victim, 130 plasma donations can provide one year of treatment for an immune deficiency patient and five donors can support a heart surgery patient. 

“Over the next five years the demand for plasma is doubling, so our goal is to bring at least one million new donors across Canada as we can’t keep relying on the same two per cent of the population for plasma donations,” said Castro. 

LPS chief Shahin Mehdizadeh said he was at the Lethbridge Plasma Donor Centre on Monday because he likes to help people. 

“Giving blood or plasma is something you never think about until somebody you love needs it, or yourself even. That’s why I like to donate so I can help my fellow citizens as the person who needs it could be a person close to me or somebody that I don’t know,” said Mehdizadeh. 

He said the process is easy, doesn’t take much time out of one’s day and the rewards outweigh the little time that takes to do it. 

“This competition (with LFES) it’s actually great  because we are hoping it brings out more of our employees out, because some employees have never tried it before,” said Mehdizadeh. 

He said that he hopes that once the employees donate for the first time, they realize how easy the process is and experience what it feels like to do something that will save lives, that they continue to donate even when the campaign is done. 

“It’s amazing that police and fire can partner and have a friendly competition to provide this critical service to the community,” said Mehdizadeh. 

Community members are encouraged to join and contribute to a Sirens for Life team. Donors can sign up through blood.ca by searching the team name “Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services – SFL” or “Lethbridge Police Service – SFL.”