In December 2025, Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services in Georgia launched its prehospital blood administration program, giving paramedics the ability to transfuse critically injured patients at the scene, a capability usually limited to trauma centers. Built in partnership with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, the program is supported by four LifeSouth blood drives each year. At launch, the county pointed to research showing that every minute of delay in blood administration raises mortality by 11%, and estimated that more than 50 local trauma patients a year could benefit.
Fire Chief Eddie Robinson framed the program as giving seconds back to the patient, closing the gap between the scene and the trauma center. EMS Division Director Chad Huff described it as a way to treat hemorrhagic shock at the earliest possible point, even before transport begins, and called it “a true game changer for prehospital medicine.”
Less than a year later, that work has been recognized nationally. Huff received a Leadership Award from the First Responders Children’s Foundation, as reported by 95.5 WSB, one of 19 first responders honored nationwide at a ceremony in New York City’s Times Square. Host Jon Stewart highlighted how Huff brought together physicians, hospitals and LifeSouth, and led the development of the protocols, training and storage and transport systems that made the program possible.
The results speak for themselves. Since launch, 16 patients have received blood transfusions from Cherokee County paramedics, each one a patient whose treatment began at the scene rather than after arrival at the hospital.
At Delta Development Team, we’re proud to support Cherokee County’s program. Their crews carry blood in the vehicle-mounted APRU 6L Portable Blood Refrigerator, with BloodCOMM® Premium monitoring temperature and tracking each unit from LifeSouth to the patient. Congratulations to Chad and the entire Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services team on a well-deserved honor.
