Austin-Travis County EMS has partnered with We Are Blood to implement a blood distribution plan for mass casualty incidents. The plan strengthens the region’s ability to respond to large-scale emergencies and helps patients receive transfusions quickly.
At a glance
The Mass Casualty Incident Whole Blood Deployment Plan is intended to quicken emergency response in Central Texas by optimizing the deployment of blood units to major incidents, according to an ATCEMS news release.
ATCEMS and We Are Blood started developing the joint response plan in fall 2025. The organizations conducted multiple full-scale training exercises, beginning in November 2025, to improve the process before its official implementation.
The plan outlines four distinct steps in the coordination of whole blood deployment to mass casualty incidents in the region:
Activation: ATCEMS notifies We Are Blood of the mass casualty incident and the estimated amount of blood needed.Rapid Staging: We Are Blood prepares units of blood and pre-packed supplies for transfusions.Field Deployment: ATCEMS personnel get the units from the blood bank.On-Scene Management: A dedicated blood officer oversees blood and equipment distribution at the scene.Diving deeper
ATCEMS and We Are Blood collaborated to launch the Whole Blood Program in 2021, delivering blood units to critically injured patients in the field on an individual incident basis.
Whole blood availability for a mass casualty event in the region is dependent on real-time supply. We Are Blood implemented its multiyear “Every Drop Counts” strategic plan in early February.
The plan will expand blood collection and processing through the development of two additional donation centers, an expansion of the mobile collection bus fleet and the establishment of a second processing center.