Helicopter crew are blood bros

Westpac helicopter crew (from left) paramedic Marcel Driessen, Dr James Le Fevre and pilot Paul Robinson donate blood yesterday. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Crew members from the Westpac rescue helicopter are used to saving lives - but now it may be with their own blood.

Three crew from the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust donated blood at the Epsom Donor Centre yesterday.

Auckland Helicopter Emergency Medical Service pre-hospital physician James Le Fevre said the process was "painless".

"It's the easiest way to save someone's life," he said.

Dr Le Fevre would like more Kiwis to donate. "Just over 100,000 New Zealanders donate blood every year. We encourage more people to donate."

Since December last year, Auckland's Helicopter Emergency Medical Service and its land-based rapid-response vehicle provided by the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust have been equipped with one unit of whole blood.

Whole blood includes red blood cells, which carry oxygen, and plasma, which helps to clot blood.

Whole blood allows the critical care doctor-paramedic team to give a blood transfusion at the site of an accident or en route to hospital.