MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The skirmish is on, and local firefighters are determined to bring home the prize this year in the Blood Bank of the Redwoods fifth annual Bucket Brigade Challenge.

The concept is simple: Bring in the highest number of donors for the December blood drive, which this year takes place Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Middletown Fire Station on Highway 175.

The competition is fierce: South Lake County Fire Protection District competes with every other fire department in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.

Last year, the team was aced out by the Windsor Fire Department, who took home the handsome Silver Bucket trophy.

The decisionmaker is you, and you and you. Donating blood is easy, essentially painless and safe. Almost anyone 16 or older can do it, although only about five percent do.

Chief Jim Wright is putting some muscle behind the effort.

This year two firetruck bays will be cleared for the occasion, so the blood donations can be performed in an easily accessible, highly visible location.

Donors are invited to a tasty barbecue lunch prepared by the firefighters and the chief, between 11a.m. and 2 p.m. Every donor will receive a free Bucket Brigade t-shirt.

You can sign up for the drive ahead of time by dialing 707-987-3089, Extension 4, or online at www.bbr.org, so the blood bank can be sure to have plenty of phlebotomists at the ready. Or you can simply show up – the waiting line is not expected to be all that long.

Donors are asked to bring a photo ID with the date of birth. Be sure you’ve had lots of fluids and a good nutritious meal a couple of hours before donating.

You must be 17 or older (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and free of cold or flu symptoms, not pregnant and not currently taking antibiotics. Those who have recently traveled to parts of Africa, India and South America may be ineligible.

A medical screening will determine whether problems with diabetes, cancer and other ailments are disqualifying. Most prescription medications do not interfere.

Donating blood may even make you healthier. A recent long-term study of more than a million Scandinavian blood donors found lower risk of cancers and reduced risk of heart disease, mostly in men. But there’s no harm in women giving blood, all the same.

A few donors experience minor symptoms such as brief lightheadedness, and the staff is prepared to deal with those and make donors comfortable as quickly as possible.

Most donors walk away feeling rewardingly good about it, a condition that lasts a long time. They know that they have helped somebody – somebody facing a critical time of need. Every year about five million Americans require blood transfusions, and some of the life-saving blood infusion could be yours.

That can make you feel really glad you’re you.