Police, Fire Departments to battle it out for a good cause

KILLEEN, Texas (July 17, 2024) - The City of Killeen Police and Fire Departments will participate in the sixth annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive on Thursday, Aug. 1 from 9a.m. - 3p.m. The City of Killeen is partnering with Carter BloodCare and the event will be held at the Killeen Conference and Convention Center.

During the blood drive, donors can vote for their favorite department and the winning department will be announced at the end. During the last drive, the Police Department received 83.5 votes, while the Fire Department received 47.5 votes, and the losing team had to wash the winning team's vehicles.

2023 was a tie-breaking blood drive, as both departments had each won for two years, although the Police Department came out on top that year. Killeen Fire Department personnel washed vehicles of our Killeen Police Department earlier this month, which was a delay due to water restrictions throughout the county in 2023.

In 2023, the City of Killeen helped Carter BloodCare bring in 113 units of blood from 131 donors, potentially saving 339 lives. It was the highest number of donors since hosting the event.

Donors can sign up to donate at https://ww2.greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/150469. The public is invited to donate blood, then cast their ballot for either department. Our Police and Fire departments will also have giveaways, music and refreshments.

The City and Carter BloodCare thanks the community for their support, as there are no real "losers" in this challenge, just several lives saved across our area.

Here is a promotional video for the event, produced by the City of Killeen: https://youtu.be/oHg5vbVzKjA.