North End resident and St. Paul firefighter honored by American Red Cross

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Aug2013Monitor_Firefighter In 1987, after registering with the National Bone Marrow Registry, St. Paul Fire Department Captain Bob Kippels became a match for a young girl with leukemia who needed a bone marrow transplant. The procedure was successful, and she remains cancer-free to this day. Kippels continues to serve and volunteer for a number of organizations.

You might say that volunteering and helping others is in his blood. And it is through his blood donations that Robert Kippels, fire and paramedic captain with the St. Paul Fire Department, has been recognized with the 2013 American Red Cross Firefighter Award.

The award is presented to a recipient who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Kippels, who is a graduate of St. Bernard’s High School and a long-time North End resident, started donating blood even before he joined the Fire Department 21 years ago.

He has donated blood to the Red Cross through a process called apheresis, a method of giving platelets rather than whole blood.

“It’s a more personal way to give,” Kippels said.

According to the Red Cross, during a platelet donation, a small portion of the donor’s blood is drawn and passed through a sophisticated cell-separating machine. The machine collects the platelets and safely returns the remaining blood components, along with some saline, back to the donor.

“You lie in a chair and use both arms,” Kippels explained. “The blood is drawn through one arm and recycles back into the other arm. With this process, you can donate more often than through a regular blood donation—every seven days.”

And it is through his blood donations that Robert Kippels, fire and paramedic captain with the St. Paul Fire Department, has been recognized with the 2013 American Red Cross Firefighter Award. The award is presented to a recipient who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. And it is through his blood donations that Robert Kippels, fire and paramedic captain with the St. Paul Fire Department, has been recognized with the 2013 American Red Cross Firefighter Award. The award is presented to a recipient who has gone above and beyond the call of duty.[/caption]

In 1987, after registering with the National Bone Marrow Registry, Kippels became a match for a young girl with leukemia who needed a bone marrow transplant. The procedure was successful, and she remains cancer-free to this day, according to Kippels.

“I had to stop donating two years ago,” he said. “For some unknown reason I developed blood clots on my lungs, and the Red Cross won’t take blood from anyone who is on blood thinners. I was very disappointed.”

The disappointment was evident in his voice, as he recalled that he had been contacted for another match during this time and could not donate his blood.

However, Kippels continues to serve and volunteer in other ways. He organizes the Bell Ringers from the Fire Department for the Salvation Army every year. Since he took over that task in 2000, the firefighters have raised $180,000 in donations.

He said the Salvation Army provides food and drink for the firefighters when they are fighting a fire, and the two agencies have a great partnership.

This year the St. Paul Fire Foundation had a net profit from calendar sales of $35,000. The calendar, which features St. Paul’s finest firefighter hunks, is a huge seller. Kippels said that money goes to fund grade schools, rec centers, ambulance devices and heart and cancer screenings.

“Most people don’t know of the many volunteer efforts the Fire Department is involved in,” Kippels said. “There are national disasters, search and rescue.”

Kippels has received several Certificates of Recognition for various volunteer efforts, including the 1997 Grand Forks flood clean-up, and in 2008 the successful search and rescue effort for an autistic young man.

Going to grade schools and talking about fire prevention is also a task Kippels enjoys.

Since he was promoted to captain in 2000, Kippels has spoken to every recruit class about the importance of being a blood donor. He has held several bone marrow drives, with over 130 names being added to the Bone Marrow Registry as a result.

“I think that once I started donating blood, it became ingrained in me how easy it is to help out someone,” he said.

Kippels followed in his father-in-law’s footsteps by joining the fire department. “He was a firefighter for 38 years,” Kippels said. “I had been working for Montgomery Wards for 12 years and had gotten laid off. I decided to take the test and was lucky enough to pass.”

He said that as a firefighter, one never knows what to expect.

“You go out on medical runs and fires in places with lightweight construction, and you could fall through a floor. There is always an inherent danger to the job, but that’s what you sign up for,” Kippels said.

“And it’s the best job anybody could ever have.”

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