News
Pantex, Y-12 prepare for flu season
Pantex nurse practitioner Tiffany Shadle administers a flu shot during opening day of the annual Flu Clinic.
Pantex and Y-12 employees have been taking advantage of free flu vaccine shots offered at each site in preparation for the upcoming winter months. The practice, which has been an ongoing service for decades at each site, is also good for the community because fewer residents are susceptible to the bug, which means they aren’t spreading it to coworkers, friends or family members.
Nurse Melissa Davis gives the flu vaccine to one of the more than 2,300 employees who took advantage of Y-12's "Flulapalooza."
Pantex Fire Department trains to ensure readiness, personnel safety
Knowing how to enter a burning building filled with smoke while battling a blaze requires continuous training to keep people safe. Pantex Fire Department’s recent training helped personnel stay familiar with their equipment and prepared for emergency situations they may not often see.
Bill Ho-Gland, Pantex Assistant Fire Chief, says the training helps support the site and the surrounding communities that may need Pantex assistance during an emergency. Pantex maintains Memorandums of Understanding with the counties surrounding the Pantex site and renders aid when requested.
Members of the Pantex Fire Department maintain certifications so they are ready to respond to any emergency that arises. This year’s training scenario involved an interior structure fire. The team had to bring the fire under control using effective water application practices, firefighting posture and attack techniques.
The Pantex Fire Department is certified through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) and regularly trains to ensure it meets or exceeds TCFP continuing education requirements. During recent emergency training, members of the department refreshed their training in the use of self-contained breathing apparatus and other personal protective equipment.
Deadline Approaching for Pantex Christmas Project
October 1 is last day for families to apply to Pantex assistance program
AMARILLO, Texas – Needy families in the Texas Panhandle have only a few days left to apply for the Pantex Christmas Project, which every year selects more than 50 families to help during the Christmas season.
Any family needing assistance should fill out an application, which can be picked up at any school counselor’s office, public library or online at www.pantex.com and submit it by October 1. Interested families can also call the Project hotline at 477-5533.
For nearly 60 years, Pantexans have generously donated their time, money and gifts to the Christmas Project to help out those in our communities who are less fortunate. The Project started in 1955, assisting two families who needed assistance buying gifts for Christmas. The project has grown over the years, with donations granting the wishes of 117 children and 12 elderly adults last year.
“This is such a rewarding project to work on, and we look forward to it every year,” said Christmas Project Treasurer Laci Hays. “For so many of us at Pantex, the holidays just wouldn’t be the same without the Christmas Project.”
The Project receives referrals from many sources, including schools, churches and childcare facilities.
Pantexans purchase a complete outfit and gifts for each child. The Project also purchases a complete outfit and a necessity bag for each family, using money raised through a variety of fundraisers. The presents and other donations are delivered to the selected families and a huge holiday carnival is given for the families and volunteers to bring them together at Christmas time.
Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.
For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
CONTACT
Pantex Christmas Project Hotline
(806) 477.5533
Laura Bailey
Public Affairs
Office (806) 573.0502
Pantexans Dish Up Barbecue
Pantex is a longtime supporter of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce event
More than a dozen Pantexans volunteered to help cook and serve some delicious barbecue Wednesday night at the annual Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Good Times Celebration and Barbecue Cookoff. For more than a decade, Pantex has been a prominent supporter of the event, which is the Chamber's largest fundraising event of the year.
Pantex Takes On Weather Preparedness
Plant first DOE entity named Storm-Ready Nation Ambassador
National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Krissy Scotten, from left, presented the WRN Ambassador designation to Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert and Carson County Emergency Management Coordinator Brenda Vermillion at a Pantex ceremony Tuesday.
Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration named Pantex Plant a Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador Tuesday. The WRN program is a new initiative to spread critical information to residents about how to prepare for and respond to a weather emergency. Ambassadors take the lead in helping unify efforts across government, non-profits, academia and private industry to make the nation more ready, responsive and resilient against severe weather.
Pantex joined Carson County this month as a WRN Ambassador, with plans for multiple events throughout September to spread the message about weather preparedness to Pantexans and county residents. Pantex is the first DOE entity named a WRN Ambassador, and Carson County is the first county in the Texas Panhandle to achieve the designation.
Pantex Supports United Way
Clarence Rashada holds up a sign expressing Pantexan support during the United Way campaign kickoff event last week as Kendra Garcia, from left, Kathy Felder and Charles Thomas look on. The four are loaned executives from Pantex, sent to support the United Way campaign, which has a theme this year of “Make it Personal.”
Each year, Pantex employees pledge hundreds of thousands of dollars to United Way of Amarillo and Canyon, making the plant a top giver to the campaign.
Pantex and Carson County Ready for Weather
Plant and county work together to become ambassadors for preparedness
On the flat plains of the Texas Panhandle, clouds gather quickly and weather can rapidly turn dangerous. When storms threaten, the key to safety is being prepared to respond to any type of weather situation.
The Pantex Plant and Carson County are taking the next step in weather preparedness, establishing themselves with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassadors. WRN is a new initiative from NOAA to spread critical information to residents about how to respond in a weather emergency.
The WRN Ambassadors initiative identifies partners willing to help unify efforts across government, non-profits, academia and private industry to make the nation more ready, responsive and resilient against severe weather.
Pantex is the first Department of Energy (DOE) facility and Carson County is the first Panhandle local government to be recognized as WRN Ambassadors. In recognition of that fact, Carson County commissioners today passed a proclamation naming September as Carson County and Pantex Plant’s PrepareAthon! Month of Action.
“Pantex is fully committed to preparing for all types of emergencies, which allows us to help protect our employees, our neighbors and the critical work we do at the plant,” said Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert. “We are honored to be recognized and look forward to continue working with our longtime partner, Carson County.”
The PrepareAthon month will involve a variety of activities to help educate residents and Pantexans about the dangers of severe weather and what can be done to prepare for frequent Panhandle storms. As WRN Ambassadors, Pantex and Carson County will work with other agencies, municipalities and facilities to become weather ready and to increase preparedness in the area.
“Carson County and Pantex have a long history of working together to respond to all types of emergencies,” said Carson County Judge Lewis Powers. “Preparedness is the key to that effort, and in the Texas Panhandle, one of the most important things to prepare for is severe weather.”
Carson County was declared StormReady by the National Weather Service in 2006, while Pantex received the designation in December, 2012, becoming the first facility of its type to be recognized in that program for its weather preparedness.
Pantex will officially receive its designation as a WRN ambassador in a ceremony at the plant on September 2, and Carson County will receive its designation on Sept. 22.
More information on the WRN program and steps residents can take to prepare for severe weather are available from NOAA here: https://www.weather.gov/wrn/
CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560
Pantex Receives Seven NNSA Awards
Pantexans recognized for stockpile stewardship work
AMARILLO, Texas – NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Stockpile Management Steve Goodrum recently presented Defense Programs Awards of Excellence (DPAE) to 175 Pantexans who excelled at Stockpile Stewardship work during 2013.
The seven awards were presented to teams involved in a variety of efforts which include nuclear weapons work, environmental remediation, high explosives testing and production planning.
The DPAE program was established in 1982 to recognize individuals or teams for significant achievements in quality, productivity, cost savings, safety or creativity of work performed in support of the Stockpile Stewardship Program.
“It is a great honor for so many Pantexans to be recognized for their outstanding work in support of Stockpile Stewardship,” said Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert. “The number of awards and the diversity of work involved are truly indicative of the dedication and innovation of the entire team at Pantex.”
DP Awards were presented to Pantexans involved in the following efforts:
- A team of 28 Pantexans was able to resolve an issue related to the W76-1 Life Extension Program (LEP).
- A team of 51 people at Pantex reconfigured the plant’s Laser Gas Sampling System to perform work on the B83, completing 124 percent of the planned workload in FY13.
- A trio of environmental experts at Pantex performed excellent work to complete the five-year review of the site’s legacy contamination cleanup remedies under the auspices of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
- A team of 10 Pantexans was able to redesign and rebuild a device used to test high explosive response to electric shock.
- A team of 20 Pantex workers provided excellent support to the Warhead Measurement Campaign (WMC), which is a program designed to obtain a standardized set of signature data from the enduring stockpile and historical U.S. weapons.
- The NNSA Integrated Production Planning and Execution System (IPRO) Implementation Project Team achieved a major milestone with the deployment of IPRO at Pantex.
- Another team of 40 Pantexans is being honored for outstanding support of the new IPRO system, utilizing existing technology to effectively answer end-user questions and share knowledge with other sites.
Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.
For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
Pantex Receives Seven NNSA Awards
Pantexans recognized for stockpile stewardship work
Pantexan Dave Thomas, from right, receives a Defense Programs Awards of Excellence from NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Stockpile Management Steve Goodrum, while NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart and Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert wait to congratulate him.
NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Stockpile Management Steve Goodrum recently presented Defense Programs Awards of Excellence (DPAE) to 175 Pantexans who excelled at Stockpile Stewardship work during 2013.
The seven awards were presented to teams involved in a variety of efforts which include nuclear weapons work, environmental remediation, high explosives testing and production planning.
The DPAE program was established in 1982 to recognize individuals or teams for significant achievements in quality, productivity, cost savings, safety or creativity of work performed in support of the Stockpile Stewardship Program.
“It is a great honor for so many Pantexans to be recognized for their outstanding work in support of Stockpile Stewardship,” said Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert. “The number of awards and the diversity of work involved are truly indicative of the dedication and innovation of the entire team at Pantex.”
DP Awards were presented to Pantexans involved in the following efforts:
- A team of 28 Pantexans was able to resolve an issue related to the W76-1 Life Extension Program (LEP).
- A team of 51 people at Pantex reconfigured the plant’s Laser Gas Sampling System to perform work on the B83, completing 124 percent of the planned workload in FY13.
- A trio of environmental experts at Pantex performed excellent work to complete the five-year review of the site’s legacy contamination cleanup remedies under the auspices of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
- A team of 10 Pantexans was able to redesign and rebuild a device used to test high explosive response to electric shock.
- A team of 20 Pantex workers provided excellent support to the Warhead Measurement Campaign (WMC), which is a program designed to obtain a standardized set of signature data from the enduring stockpile and historical U.S. weapons.
- The NNSA Integrated Production Planning and Execution System (IPRO) Implementation Project Team achieved a major milestone with the deployment of IPRO at Pantex.
- Another team of 40 Pantexans is being honored for outstanding support of the new IPRO system, utilizing existing technology to effectively answer end-user questions and share knowledge with other sites.
Consolidated Nuclear Security CEO Jim Haynes, left, congratulates Lennon Mings, right, for winning a DPAE as Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert looks on.
Pantex Conducts Emergency Exercise
Pantex Fire Department emergency response personnel work to extract a training mannequin from beneath an overturned car at the plant’s emergency exercise Wednesday. The exercise, which involved numerous offsite participants from local and state agencies, centered on a simulated tornado that struck the plant, leading to the overturned vehicle.
