For Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Branch, time is of the essence. A well-organized storage area is paramount to a time-efficient response during an emergency.

TYAD F&ES leadership keenly understands the importance of this and recently invested in it. Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Ward tasked members of F&ES with a Lean/6S project to organize and inventory the firehouse equipment storage area.

Lean is a program of continuous improvement based on eliminating unnecessary steps in a process such as rearranging an area to improve workflow and increase efficiency.

Over the course of the three-month endeavor, a team led by firefighter/emergency medical technician (EMT) Eric Reddinger inventoried, labeled and organized everything in the storage area in a more logical fashion. In addition to that, the team created a rack layout chart so anyone can easily find whatever they are looking for at a glance.

Reddinger said the project addressed the issues of equipment being stored randomly or unnecessarily.

“Essentially, for years (the storage area) has been the catch-all for anything that didn’t have a home. There was no rhyme or reason to how stuff was stored, and we came up with an easy-to-follow layout to label everything and get it organized,” said Reddinger.

“We got rid of a 30-yard dumpster of old supplies, and we had one dumpster of metal products that went to recycling. We made a lot of room.”

Assistant Fire Chief Palmer Johnson said getting the storage area to this point has been an example of continuous growth.

“When the project first got started, we did have things in storage bins. However, we did not have a very good process of knowing what was in each bin and the quantity. So, Eric and his team inventoried every container. They said ‘Okay, so we have four things in one container – they don’t all go together. Let’s put these two things in one, and we’ll put these two in another,’” said Johnson.

That concerted effort to organize things in a logical way means finding equipment is a quicker process and keeping tabs on inventory is much easier. The knowledge of where things are and how much of something is available is critical because, according to Johnson, the team is only going to the storage area during the worst of emergencies.

A hurdle faced by the F&ES team has been keeping the area organized once a system is put in place. This time, Reddinger said, the team is determined to keep it in pristine condition after all the hard work that went into the project.

“It took a whole bunch of people to get it done. We’re all going to be mindful of it and keep after it. It’s a standing rule.”

Johnson recognized Reddinger for his comprehensive vision, dynamic leadership and effective communication throughout the project, adding that the unorthodox schedule of firefighters can make it easy for there to be a breakdown.

“Our schedules are challenging for a project like this. Because when Eric works for two days, this is what he’s focused on for those two days. But when he goes home, he needs to be able to pass on the vision to the rest of the group that’s going to be here moving things around, so when he gets back what he envisioned to be on this wall isn’t somewhere else. And he did that. He came up with a plot and a map and a clear explanation,” said Johnson.

Firefighter Chris Uhrin is new to TYAD, and the organization project was one of the first things he worked on. He said the project was the perfect introduction to F&ES and the heightened organization makes it so everyone can use the building to its greatest potential.

“Now that everything is organized the way it is, it will make a great impact on just knowing that everyone who’s here, no matter what shifts, is able to use the building to the fullest ability to be able to quickly locate supplies,” said Uhrin.

A particular point of pride for this project was the teamwork shown by F&ES. Johnson praised the collaborative effort starting with leadership to the project lead to the entire F&ES team.

“(Pat Ward) started the project and if Eric had changes, he presented me a map, we reviewed the map and made sure his vision matched ours. It really was a team effort; just about everybody was out here at some point participating in some way,” said Johnson.

TYAD F&ES provide invaluable support not only to TYAD but also to our great surrounding community.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation, in partnership with The Luzerne Foundation, Wayne County Community Foundation, Carbon County Community Foundation, Greater Pike Community Foundation, Posture Interactive, and other community sponsors, will host the fourth annual NEPA Gives event on Thursday, June 1, until Friday, June 2, 2023.Promoted as the largest philanthropy event in Northeastern Pennsylvania, NEPA Gives is a 24-hour online giving extravaganza that’s all about giving back to the community.

NEPA Gives aims to raise awareness about the critical work nonprofit organizations carry out across the region and aims to help charitable organizations raise much-needed funds. Over 250 nonprofit organizations from across eight counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania will participate in NEPA Gives. Donations to participating nonprofit organizations are accepted at nepagives.org from 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 2.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching funds, incentives, and prizes have been secured, provided by various community partners, businesses, and sponsors that make donations to participating nonprofits during NEPA Gives stretch even further.

Adding to the excitement, to celebrate NEPA Gives, there will be in-person events in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties. A NEPA Gives kickoff event, hosted by the Luzerne Foundation, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Scranton Area Community Foundation, will be held on Thursday, June 1, from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Rodano’s in Wilkes Barre. There will also be a NEPA Gives kickoff event at the Settlers Inn in Hawley, sponsored by the Settlers Cares Foundation in partnership with Wayne County Community Foundation and Pike County Community Foundation. On Friday, June 2, The Scranton Area Community Foundation is hosting an in-person NEPA Gives ‘Give Gathering’ closing celebration that will be held at the Hilton Scranton Conference Center from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., to coincide with First Friday Scranton. The Give Gathering will include live entertainment, giveaways, real-time and live-streamed updates on NEPA Gives, and opportunities for the general public to meet many of the participating nonprofits. All of these events are free to attend. More information can be found at nepagives.org/info/kickoffevent.

To celebrate this historical and monumental giving day, both Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown have made official proclamations declaring June 1-2, 2023 as NEPA Gives Day.

“NEPA Gives is all about supporting the charities that are doing important work right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “We have teamed up with various community partners and businesses eager to provide support for NEPA Gives and we are thrilled to announce that we have secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in incentives, bonuses, and matching funds available to participating nonprofits which helps make charitable donations go further during NEPA Gives. This year, we are looking forward to gathering in person in Wilkes-Barre, Hawley, and Scranton to celebrate the momentum of NEPA Gives and highlight the generosity of our region, and the good work of the many nonprofits taking part in NEPA Gives.”

Members of the community wishing to make a contribution for NEPA Gives can visit www.nepagives.org anytime between 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, and 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 2, 2023, to make a secure donation to any of the 250+ participating nonprofit organizations.

This is the fourth year for NEPA Gives. In the past three years, NEPA Gives has raised nearly $3 million for hundreds of local nonprofit organizations in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

To learn more about #NEPAGives, visit nepagives.org or contact Brittany Pagnotti, Communications Manager of the Scranton Area Community Foundation at 570-347-6203.

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On June 17th the Greater Scranton YMCA will host its Inaugural Lap Swim Challenge, with proceeds benefiting the Stingray Swim Team. The challenge will take place at the YMCA’s facility, located at 706 N. Blakely Street, Dunmore, PA 18512.

Participants will get 45 minutes to swim as many laps as they can. A grand prize overall winner will be named, as well as medals for individual age group winters. A personal lap counter is provided and the first 50 participants who register will receive a free T shirt. In honor of Father’s Day on June 18th all dads will eat free at our concession stand.

The challenge costs $30 to participate in and is open to Greater Scranton YMCA members
and non members Registration packets are available at the YMCA’s Welcome Center, as
well as online https://www.greaterscrantonymca.org/programs/40081/lap-swim-challenge/?locations=13.

The Greater Scranton YMCA’s Swim Team is based on the YMCA principles of competitive
swimming and character values. We believe that everybody swims and everybody wins!

For more information about the challenge, visit the Greater Scranton YMCA online at
https://www.greaterscrantonymca.org/programs/40081/lap-swim-challenge/?locations=13.
For questions or help with registration, contact Leslie Kopa, Aquatics Director, Greater
Scranton YMCA at lkopa@gsymca.org o r call ( 828 311 2.