Battle of the Badges in Asheville collects 196 units, APD reclaims trophy

The 16th annual Battle of the Badges blood drive collected 196 units of blood at First Baptist Church’s gymnasium in Asheville on Feb. 25, 2026, surpassing the event goal of 160 units. The American Red Cross said the 196 units "will likely go on to save 588 lives," and called the drive one of the biggest in the community and the largest single-day turnout for a Battle of the Badges in North Carolina.

Five first-responder agencies took part in the friendly competition: Asheville Fire Department, Asheville Police Department, Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, Buncombe County EMS and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The Asheville Police Department took home the event trophy and collected more than 100 units, a margin that propelled the department to the top of this year’s tally.

Organizers staged the arm-to-arm contest in the First Baptist Church gym to concentrate donor turnout, and the drive’s total exceeded organizers’ stated 160-unit target by 36 units. The American Red Cross projection that 196 units could save 588 lives reflects the figure the organization provided for this event; the Red Cross supplied the estimate tying units collected to potential lives saved.

Asheville Police Department’s haul of more than 100 units represents a sizable share of the single-day total, though exact agency-by-agency breakdowns beyond APD’s "more than 100" were not provided. The event marked a notable turnout for local first responders and donors, with the Red Cross describing the drive’s attendance as the largest single-day turnout for a Battle of the Badges in North Carolina.

The Battle of the Badges is an annual, long-running friendly competition among local law enforcement and first-responder agencies designed to boost blood supplies. This year’s collection at First Baptist Church came two days before the end of February and will be processed and distributed by the Red Cross according to standard protocols; the supplied reporting did not specify which hospitals will receive the blood.

With 196 units on hand after Feb. 25, community blood reserves have a short-term boost at a time when seasonal shortages sometimes strain hospital inventories. The trophy went to Asheville Police Department following the collection, and the drive’s organizers and the Red Cross emphasized the community scale of the effort and the tangible impact: the Red Cross’s estimate that the haul could save 588 lives underscores the drive’s immediate benefit to patients across the region.