Boca Raton Fire Rescue expands lifesaving whole blood program through new health network partnership

A new partnership between Boca Raton Fire Rescue and Palm Beach Health Network is strengthening a whole blood program that has already saved lives in the field this summer.Boca Raton's fire rescue crews have had access to whole blood since a new program kicked off this summer; paramedics say the capability is transforming how they treat patients before they reach the hospital.WATCH REPORT BELOW: Boca Raton expands whole blood programAccording to Red Cross Blood Services, whole blood is blood as it flows in our bodies, with none of its components separated or removed."Whole blood has been shown to save lives, and now that we have the capability in our arsenal, it's a world of difference in treating patients and getting the right care," Kacper Palej, Boca Raton firefighter paramedic, said.Jo Thomas was critically injured in a motorcycle crash this summer. Crews administered whole blood for the first time under the new program. "I've been told I got flown from the bike into a crosswalk po