Buckingham Township Police, Midway Volunteer Fire Company, and Lingohocken Fire Company held a "Battle of the Badges" blood drive on Thursday, competing to see which agency could collect the most donations.

The six-hour drive ran from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at a Buckingham Township location, according to the Buckingham Township Police Department's official CrimeWatch page. The winning team earned bragging rights. Results have not been released.

The event came 10 days after the American Red Cross declared a national blood emergency on July 13, only the second such declaration in the organization's history. The Red Cross cited a nearly 25% decline in the nation's blood supply during June, with donations falling to a four-year summer low.

Type O-positive blood, the most commonly transfused type, dropped below a one-day supply nationally, forcing the Red Cross to limit distributions to individual hospitals.

"Blood donations simply are not keeping pace with hospital demand, and inventories — especially type O blood — remain under significant strain," Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said July 21.

Hospital demand has been running roughly 3,500 units per week above expected levels during what the Red Cross calls the height of trauma season. Extreme heat, poor air quality and widespread foodborne illnesses have contributed to lower donor turnout, according to Red Cross officials.

The Red Cross supplies roughly 40% of the nation's blood.

Residents looking to donate can find upcoming Bucks County blood drives at redcrossblood.org.