Blood drive to hit Fairchild Published Nov. 13, 2007 By Airman 1st Class Kali L. Gradishar 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The Inland Northwest Blood Center will be holding a blood drive Nov. 14 in front of the base exchange. Donating hours will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ending the blood drive later in the evening will provide "opportunities to donate beyond the standard duty day," said Master Sgt. Michael Klaus, the coordinator for this blood drive. The INBC brings their mobile blood-donating unit to the base three times per year. This gives members of Team Fairchild a quick, convenient opportunity to donate blood, rather than traveling to the nearest blood center. "This fits into the commander's priority of community involvement and fostering relations with the community," said Sergeant Klaus, referring to Col. Thomas Sharpy, 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander. "Hosting the blood drive is just one way we support the community. The base is a prominent resource of blood donations for the blood center." A donator can expect to meet with the blood drive volunteers to go through the standard screening process to determine eligibility for donating. Once determined eligible, the donator will be entered into the INBC database and head to the mobile blood-donating unit in the parking lot of the base exchange. Then, an INBC representative will conduct a confidential screening to further determine donating eligibility. From there, the donors will actually donate the pint of blood and, when finished, will wait in the monitoring area of the bus where a snack, a drink and a T-shirt will be available to the donor. The whole process typically takes about 45 minutes. Donators are advised to drink plenty of fluids and eat before donating, as it will make the process much smoother. Though appointments are not required, you may contact Sergeant Klaus at michael.klaus@fairchild.af.mil for available appointment times.