SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Firefighting is thirsty work, especially in the heat of summer.
When the Dalton Fire Department reached out to the public asking for bottled water, PS Bank employees answered through the bank’s Water for a Worthy Cause initiative.
The business set up a water station Tuesday at their 223 Northern Boulevard business center. About 10 local departments brought fire vehicles to be loaded with bottled water. The bank also provided snacks for firefighters, including granola bars, trail mix and crackers.
PS Bank contributed bottle water to Lackawanna County ten volunteer fire departments on Tuesday. Shown is Dalton firefighter Mitch Raup taking delivery of water for the company. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
A Dalton fire truck loaded with water to be available to its firefighters fighting fires this summer. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
Dalton firefighter Mitch Raup accepts bottled water donations from PS Bank employees at a Tuesday event. (SUBMITTED)
Dalton firefighter Mitch Raup said crews can remain for up to six hours when called to the scene of a fire. Snacks and water help get firefighters through those intense times, he said.
“It’s great to see people from the community helping out,” he said. “We’re all about community. It doesn’t get better than this.”
‘When the call went out, we responded’
PS Bank Marketing Director Sean Ann Schoen saw the post on the Dalton Fire Department’s Facebook page and responded.
“I got in touch with management and said this is totally our thing. These are the people that protect our buildings, our staff, our customers,” she said.
With temperatures rising, Schoen said there was not time to waste and organized the effort in about a week.
“It’s hot. Fires are hot. Fire victims are having a hard time in this kind of heat,” she said.
The effort was part of community engagement that defines the bank, she said.
“Firefighters are our customers,” she said. “At the end of the day, we want them to be safe, we want them to be nourished. They can only protect everyone if they’re safe themselves.”