Patriotism flows with LV blood

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001 | 9:51 a.m.

Maureen O'Connor, a Delta Airlines flight attendant based in Boston, spent $50 on a cab ride from her Las Vegas hotel to the United Blood Services center on Whitney Ranch Drive in Henderson.

Her thoughts centered around Tuesday's tragedy. She just wanted to help.

"It's so horrific, I can barely catch my breath," O'Connor said Tuesday. "I couldn't think of anything I could do except give blood, so here I am."

United Blood Services centers throughout the Las Vegas Valley were overwhelmed with donors, and the wait to contribute was four hours or more.

Rich Haire, assistant manager of the Vons supermarket at Lone Mountain Road and Decatur Boulevard left work to wait more than two hours to donate.

"People who say Americans aren't patriotic should take a look around here," Haire said as he gazed at dozens of people in line at the blood center's Whitney Ranch site.

Ruth Welles, who was donating blood for the first time, said she was praying for her brother-in-law.

"He works on the 62nd floor of the World Trade Center," Welles said. "We haven't heard from him yet."

Patrick Brown, a junior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said until Tuesday he considered himself a pacifist, but would now consider volunteering for military service.

"Whoever has done this has woken a sleeping dragon," Brown said.

Airline workers, lawyers, cocktail waitresses and blackjack dealers fanned themselves in the heat as they waited in line. Some sipped from bottles of water donated by local radio stations or nibbled pizza and doughnuts from restaurants and stores.

Many in line were first-time blood donors. Others, such as Tricia Quinn of Las Vegas, donated before, but never on an occassion such as this. Not knowing who to blame intensified the fear, Quinn said.

"I don't know who I'm supposed to be afraid of or what's coming next," Quinn said.

Firefighters, emergency room physicians and structural engineers from Nevada were ready Tuesday to fly east and help with search-and-rescue efforts in the wake of Monday's terrorist attacks.

Sixty-two volunteers were on alert, said Steve Hanson, a Clark County deputy fire chief and leader of the state's urban search-and-rescue task force.

"This is what we've trained for," said Hanson, who participated in search-and-rescue operations after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

There are 28 such task forces in the country, and the first ones called upon are those closest to the scene, Hanson said. The others are activated using a system based on the months of the year. Nevada was at the top of the list for August and rotated to the bottom of the list for September, Hanson said.

That could change, he said.

"Given what we're dealing with here, all bets may be off," Hanson said.

The Nevada task force requires three military transport aircraft, loaded with more than 50,000 pounds of equipment. In addition to power saws -- which can cut through concrete -- and other rescue tools, the task force must travel with enough food and water to sustain members for three days.

"We have to be self-sustaining," Hanson said. "We can't rely on anyone at the scene to provide anything for us, whether it's food or shelter."

Hanson urged area residents interested in contributing to the relief effort to donate blood.

Mobile donation units will operate Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bellagio. Friday, the units will be at Mandalay Bay from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and at the MGM Grand from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In Boulder City, blood may be donated from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the LDS church.

The following United Blood Services centers will be open daily for donations from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

6930 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas 228-4483

3935 E. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas 438-9850

601 Whitney Ranch, Henderson 434-1838