KALAMAN BLOOD DRIVE HONORS 25-YEAR LEGACY WITH NEW ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY
April 28, 2022
CENTERVILLE, Ohio - The 25th annual Officer John
Kalaman Memorial Blood Drive on April 27 added to the legacy of a
young policeman killed in the line of duty. In special recognition
of the milestone, Community Blood Center announced a new alliance
to better prepare the region for mass injury events.
CBC has joined 30 blood centers across the nation as a member of
BERC, the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps. CBC is now setting
aside units of blood on a rotating "on call" schedule, ready to be
shipped immediately to any BERC member after any event with
multiple casualties requiring blood transfusions.
Centerville Police officer John Kalaman and Washington Township
Firefighter Robert O'Toole were struck by a vehicle and killed Jan.
12, 1998 while responding to an accident on I-675. Kalaman's
parents John and Paula Kalaman sponsored the first memorial blood
drive in 1998 on their son's April 27 birthday.
Wednesday's blood drive at the Centerville Police Department
totaled 76 donors, including 66 donations and eight first time
donors. In its 25-year history, more than 4,474 units of blood have
now been donated in Kalaman's name.
CBC ANNOUNCED BERC ALLIANCE
The BERC announcement began with a welcome by John and Paula
Kalaman.
"The blood drive is a cause very near and dear to our hearts,"
said Paula. "We never imagined it would last this long and have the
support of the community that it does. It came about when John was
killed at 29 years old and so much good left in him undone. In some
sense, we wanted to pick up where he left off."
The Kalamans believe BERC is in line with their mission of
saving lives through blood donations and supporting the public
safety community. BERC was founded in 2021 to help blood centers
respond to mass injury events with five or more victims requiring
transfusions.
CBC Laboratory Services Director Gavin Patch recalled the 2017
Las Vegas shooting were 60 people were killed and 867 injured.
"After the Las Vegas shooting there were six-hour wait lines to
donate," said Patch. "But blood is needed within 24 hours of the
injury event. It is great that people came out the next day, but
what is truly needed is the blood available on the shelf, blood
that is already there."
"I think BERC is mutual aid," said City of Dayton Fire
Department Emergency Preparedness Coordinator David Gerstner.
"Police, fire, EMS, public health, law enforcement; we all depend
on each other and we all use mutual aid all the time.
"Trying to get us all working together to be prepared, whether
its active shooter incidents, transportation accident, hazardous
material incidents - a myriad of things that can cause multiple
casualties."
"The ability to transfuse someone rapidly is vital," said Dr.
Randy Marriott, Medical Director of Premier Health EMS Center of
Excellence.
"I've been involved in a number of mass casualty incident
responses both locally and nationally and that is just a vital
component. It doesn't matter what our skills may be, it doesn't
matter our degree of preparation, if we don't have the right
treatments to perform adequate and rapid life resuscitation.
"All those efforts would be in vain if we did not have the blood
in front of us. I want to thank CBC for having the foresight to be
part of this program to make our community stronger and make our
preparation better."
MILESTONE 25th ANNUAL JOHN KALAMAN BLOOD
DRIVE
The Kalaman blood drive carried on through the pandemic despite
a change of location in 2020 and safety restrictions. All
traditions resumed this year, including a birthday cake decorated
with a Centerville Police badge.
"I donate regularly," said Montgomery Co. Sheriff's Sgt. Thomas
Feehan. "But I always make sure I come to this."
There were new donors, like CPD Cadets Tatianna Poelking and
Kaylee Moreland, both Criminal Justice students at the Warren
County Career Center.
There were long-time donors, like retired Dayton firefighter Tad
Becker and Dayton FD Lt. Rob Lotz. "We always come to give," said
Rob. "It's associated with public safety and public service."
Jake Stone hasn't missed a Kalaman blood drive since he first
started donating at Centerville High in 2012. "It's a good cause
and it brings awareness," said Jake. "I can see the Kalamans every
year and it's always good to see them."
There are always donors in uniform, including Centerville Police
Chief Matt Brown.
"It's an important obligation I have and an opportunity I have
to keep John's legacy going," said Chief Brown. "He made the
ultimate sacrifice; his family made that sacrifice. We want to help
them out. Our department has been so supportive, our community has
been so supportive. We want to keep his name going."
Centerville officers like Faupo Lauofo, who served with John
more than 25 years ago, are especially dedicated to the blood
drive.
"We were on the highway together that morning," said Officer
Lauofo. "It was the end of our shift. I left early to see my kids.
25 years. Time marches on. Some things you can never forget."
"Twenty five years in," said John Kalaman said about the blood
drive in his son's name. "It's heartwarming to see the support we
get from the donors, the businesses in town, if gives you a good
feeling that this is a community that cares.
"It amazes me we've gone on this long. We never gave it a
thought about how long it would last. We just kept getting the same
number to come and support this drive.
"It's a birthday present for John. Today is his birthday. He
would have been 54 years old. I turned 54 the year he died. Thank
you to the people in the community who donate and support blood
drives and keep his memory alive."