Blood Run
Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Romig places platelets into the back of his patrol car from United Blood Services in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Feb. 3. The platelets were needed at the hospital in Rock Springs. Photo courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation.
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WHP Lt. Tim Romig
Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Romig heads toward Interstate 25 after picking up platelets from United Blood Services in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Feb. 3. The platelets were needed at the hospital in Rock Springs. Photo courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation.
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Running lights on
Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Romig runs "lights on" southbound on I-25 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Feb. 3. He was the first leg of the relay on a "blood run" to deliver platelets needed at the hospital in Rock Springs. Photo courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation.
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Transfering platelets
Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Romig holds the door for Trooper Dave Redding at the Albany County line as Redding pulls platelets from the back of Romig's patrol car near Cheyenne, Wyoming, Feb. 3. The platelets were needed at the hospital in Rock Springs. Photo courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation.
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Transfer
Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Romig holds the door for Trooper Dave Redding at the Albany County line as Redding pulls platelets from the back of Romig's patrol car near Cheyenne, Wyoming, Feb. 3. The platelets were needed at the hospital in Rock Springs. Photo courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation.
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Patrol provides life-saving service with ‘blood runs’
by Wyoming Highway Patrol
February 16, 2017
Snow blows across the roadway, creating areas of ice even where the sun shines.
"11 degrees … there’s a potential for black ice." He scans the roadway for gravel and dry pavement before pointing out a dry line. "Do you see that gray area? I’m keeping my tires on that line." Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Romig is always reassessing the road to determine how he can make his delivery safely, even while traveling more than 110 mph in his Dodge Charger on a day on which the forecast calls for winds between 55 and 75 mph in areas of Southeast Wyoming.
Romig raced west on Interstate 80 on Feb. 3 not to pursue a speeding driver but to deliver platelets.
Troopers call the service a "blood run."
When a hospital in Wyoming runs out of blood or platelets, it puts a call in to the WHP. If the event meets WHP requirements, several troopers are organized to make a relay run from Cheyenne to wherever the blood may be needed. The first available trooper is sent once the call is made.
"It must be an emergency," Romig said. "We run ‘lights on.’ But it’s a life-saving service we provide."
Regardless of the conditions – even if roads are closed because of weather – the troopers answer the call.
"Someone’s life hangs in the balance," he said. "The hospital can save someone’s life with (the blood)."
Blood runs are needed several times a month. And, sometimes, there may be more than one run in a day.
"Sometimes hospitals run completely out of blood, and they have someone in surgery," Romig said. "Sometimes the need can be because of a bad crash."
Troopers can complete the run faster as a relay. The Feb. 3 run from Cheyenne to Rock Springs would call for four-five troopers, Romig said. Because each trooper knows the region and drives a portion of the section they run twice, they know what the conditions will be. Additionally, he said the troopers are more attentive than if they had to drive two-three hours by themselves.
"We try to do these as quick as we can," he said. But safety is always paramount, he adds. He tries not to surprise drivers. He doesn’t want them to change lanes too quickly or anything else that could present a danger. He’s careful not to pull too close to vehicles. He wants a clear path but doesn’t want them to think they themselves are being pulled over.
"People can’t always hear the siren or see the lights until the patrol car is close," Romig said. He calls it outrunning your siren.
"These people don’t know how important what we’re carrying is," he said.
Romig met Trooper Dave Redding at the Albany County line. The 26-mile trip from United Blood Services in Cheyenne to the county line took around 18 minutes. Romig estimates the average speed of the trip was around 90 mph.
Romig said there are more people than just the troopers who are involved.
"Without the plows and sanders, we wouldn’t be able to drive through on these roads," he said. "Without the mechanics we wouldn’t have serviceable vehicles. And without dispatch and the (Transportation Management Center), we wouldn’t have the information we need to make the trip. All of this ties together and saves someone’s life."
All of this effort is made despite that everyone involved will never even know who they helped.
Always vigilant and working to keep the roads safe, Romig spots a vehicle parked on the side of the road on the return trip to Cheyenne and radios in to check to see if another trooper has already made a welfare check on it. After confirming that they have, he drives on, ready for the next life-saving call.
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