Karylyn Marchetti Petrie was out raking and piling up pine needles at the end of her driveway this weekend in Story, wondering what to do with all of them.
She needn’t have worried.
Suddenly, like a little genie popping up out of a polished lantern, there was a driver with M-C Sanitation. Not only was he ready and willing to load his garbage truck with her pine needles, but he actively helped her do it.
Petrie was one of dozens of Story residents giving M-C Sanitation a shout out on Facebook for pitching in over the weekend, while a volunteer effort led by John Szymaniak, the administrator behind the Elk Fire volunteers group on Facebook, was taking place to rid about 30 homes of debris.
“There’s a saying, ‘The good Lord helps those that help themselves, and those that can’t,” Szymaniak told Cowboy State Daily on Monday. “And that’s what we were doing yesterday. We were working with a lot of elderly people that just don’t have the ability to do those things. That was what we were trying to accomplish over the weekend, helping those people (where) it’s very difficult for them to do it themselves.”
As of Monday afternoon, the Elk Fire had burned nearly 90,000 acres and was 27% contained. Most of its growth has been to the southwest, inching closer to the towns of Story and Big Horn.
Szymaniak had a crew of 30 or so volunteers helping with the task. They cleared so much debris, they filled up all four, 30-yard dumpsters with flammable material.
After that, they would have had nowhere to put the material, Szymaniak said. They would have piled the debris as far from the homes as possible to await more trash bins on Monday. But that’s when an M-C Sanitation driver showed up out of the blue, and readily agreed to haul away the debris.
“I really want to give a shout out to them,” Szymaniak said. “He really saved our backsides, because we had nowhere to go with anything at that point.”
New dumpsters have since been brought in, as of early Monday morning, Szymaniak added, so now there’s more room for debris.
Szymaniak said he is encouraging Story residents to dispose of any debris on their properties before the fires threaten their town.
“Firewise.org has a home safety checklist,” he said. “I’ve been giving those out to people, so they know what to do to get their homes ready for this.”
Story Trees Are A Challenge
Story, Wyoming, looks a bit like a fairy tale come to life. It’s a small, wooded town about 20 miles south of Sheridan nestled amidst pine and other trees at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains. All the amazing trees are possible thanks to the North and South Piney Creeks, which wind throughout the community. They not only support abundant trees, but the abundant wildlife that populates the picturesque town.
The whole town looks a bit like a storybook coming to life, especially in the fall with the leaves turning yellow against a backdrop of pines and mountains. But for firefighters, all those extra trees, which are now shedding pine needles and pinecones, look extra challenging when it comes to fighting off fires.
They are fine fuels, and if fire hits them, it will be off to the races. With the Elk Fire relentlessly pushing south at 90,000 acres and growing, that challenge has been weighing on many residents’ minds.
Story, along with Big Horn and Beckton, sit in the “ready” status right now, which means residents are on notice that they could be ordered to evacuate at any time. That ready status was extended over the weekend down into Johnson County, taking in Wagon Box Road from the border of Bighorn National Forest to I-90 East.
The “Go” order for areas near Red Grade Road on Monday morning had some residents concerned that they, too, might soon have to evacuate. But those “Go” orders were related to strategic firing that firefighters are doing in that area, backburning to prepare a “catcher’s mitt” that would catch oncoming fireballs and turn the Elk Fire back in on itself.
Still, Szymaniak and other Story residents feel they can’t be too careful right now, especially after watching what happened in Dayton and Parkman when fire pushed its fingers into those communities, threatening the Double Rafter Ranch and other homes along Pass Creek Road and destroying two homes in the Horseshoe Subdivision.
Volunteers work to rake up pine needles and pine cones, reducing fuel around this home in Story. (Courtesy John Szymaniak) 
Volunteers take stock of work done to help prepare this home to be defensible from wildfire. (Courtesy John Szymaniak) 
An MC Sanitation driver agreed to let Story residents load debris directly into his garbage truck after four roll offs filled up. (Courtesy Kathleen Downs Fay) 
Volunteers take a much-deserved break after working hard to clear debris from homes. (Courtesy John Szymaniak) 
Volunteers gathered over the weekend to help residents of Story, Wyoming, prep in case the Elk Fire threatens. (Courtesy John Szymaniak) 
Technically, the roll-off bin was overfull, but the driver was able to completely tarp the load and, given the situation, let it roll anyway. (Courtesy John Szymaniak)
Paying It Forward
The debris sweep in Story over the weekend happened thanks to a bunch of volunteers and people who “love Story,” Szymaniak said.
“I saw the people come to our end to help,” he added. “I’m out of Ranchester, and I have a lot of family up in Dayton, in that area. So now that it’s moved here, to me, this is about paying it forward, bringing our support here.”
Szymaniak said people have been amazing and generous with their time and talents, ever since he set up the Facebook group, Elk Fire Volunteers, so there would be a nexus that could knit all the tiny Bighorn communities together into a more cohesive unit.
“This isn’t about me, I don’t need to be Facebook famous,” Szymaniak said. “I’ve shied away from most interviews because I don’t want that perception to be there. This is about these people, all these volunteers. I cannot do this without them. There’s over 2,400 people on the page, and as far as direct contacts, I’m at 55 in here.”
Through the page, Szymaniak has connected a busing company from Sheridan with employees of Bear Lodge, who needed help getting workers and their belongings out of the area.
“We’ve taken medical supplies up to Elk Lodge,” Szymaniak said. “My neighbor, Stephanie, one of my moderators on the page, she’s provided housing and employment for people who were displaced upon the mountain.
Cases and cases of water and Gatorade, meanwhile, have flowed into Story, along with other supplies to help.
“I think there’s a really big misunderstanding,” he said. “The firefighters do have support, but some of the creature comforts of home can mean a lot to them.”
Plus, Szymaniak added, not all the people working the fire are staying at the main camp in Dayton. Some are staying in hotels and lodges.
“So, again, for those people, helping them is really, really important,” he said. “And just showing them that we care.”
A Little Bit Old School
Szymaniak has been weaving all of his volunteer work into his regular day jobs.
“Sleep has been short lately,” he said, chuckling a little.
He does volunteer work into the middle afternoon, then does his regular jobs from late afternoon until evening.
“I really want to help people,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m not a rich fellow, so I’m just doing what I can. But I’ve worked almost 30 years — well more than that probably — in the construction industry, so I’ve done a lot of planning, and I’ve worked as superintendent of construction on large commercial jobs.”
That experience means he’s used to running large crews, as well as delegating people, putting them in the right places to get work done.
“That’s really helped with this situation, getting together volunteers,” he said, patting his “mobile desk.”
It’s not a laptop. It’s an old-fashioned notebook on top of an aluminum clipboard that includes a small space inside for pens and other objects.
“I do use technology,” he said with a smile. “But I’m a little old school.”
The handwritten notes are a little easier for Szymaniak to keep track of.
“I’m taking a lot of phone calls,” he said. “And then I might see someone post something, but it’s 500 posts ago, and trying to find a name and a number — it’s just easier when I can go to a piece of paper and say, all right, I’ve got this guy, and he has a truck and a trailer and these people have a place where an RV can park.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
