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West Valley fire crews to carry low‑titer O positive whole blood under Intermountain agreement
Summary
West Valley’s fire medical division presented a prehospital blood-transfusion pilot with Intermountain (IMC): one AABB-compliant cooler, one unit of low‑titer O positive per city on contract, weekly rotation, crew training and an expected use of one to two times per month to reduce time-to-transfusion in major trauma.
West Valley City’s fire department presented a plan to carry whole blood on emergency response units to reduce time to transfusion for major trauma patients. Battalion Chief Brandon Howard said the department has developed a partnership with Intermountain (IMC) to provide blood and that staff have been demoing AABB‑compliant refrigerated coolers for more than two months without issues.
Howard told the council the leading cause of death in major trauma is hemorrhage and that current prehospital care in the county can take 45 minutes to an hour to deliver blood at hospital arrival. The department’s approach is to begin transfusion earlier by carrying a single unit of low‑titer O positive whole blood on a battalion chief’s cooler; battalion chiefs would bring the blood to major incidents so crews can load patients and start transfusion while en route to a trauma surgeon.
Under the described arrangement, Intermountain will supply and rotate blood: West Valley will hold blood for up to seven days, after which Intermountain will courier replacement units and bring the used unit into their front‑of‑stock rotation. Howard said the department is carrying one unit under the current contract but hopes to expand units if usage and logistics support it. Staff emphasized strict temperature monitoring and notifications from the cooler; Intermountain’s transfusion lab will have access to those records as part of the agreement.
Howard described clinical tradeoffs the department considered — notably low‑titer O positive is intended as a broadly compatible emergency option — and acknowledged potential RH factor concerns for some patients of childbearing potential. He said those concerns are managed after the emergency by clinical teams and that immediate death from exsanguination cannot be reversed.
The council asked about unit counts and logistics. Howard said the initial program carries one unit for the city and that training for crews and supervisors on administration is complete; the department expects to administer blood “one to two times a month” based on current data. Any formal contract authority or signatures were presented as the next practical step so the department can operationalize the program.
The council did not take a formal vote on the presentation at the hearing; staff asked for time to return with any necessary contract documents.
