Someone tried to take a piece of Wapiti’s Red Barn gas station with them, and the owners are fed up with it.
On Wednesday morning, two women stopped to fill their tank at the Red Barn, the only gas station between Cody and the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.
After they started the pump, the women wen inside the gas station. When they got back into their pickup truck, they started to drive off.
What they didn’t realize was that the gas nozzle was still in their tank.
“They came in while they were fueling up and left the pump unattended,” said Manda Siebert, owner of the Red Barn. “They filled up, forgot they were filling up, and drove off.”
The couple only made it a few feet before realizing what they’d done. Rather than inform anyone at the Red Barn, they put the nozzle back in its holder and left.
That rubbed Siebert the wrong way.
“She hung up the hose and drove off,” she said. “It was just lying there on the ground.”
Fourth This Summer
This wasn’t a first for Siebert. She said this sort of thing happens “once or twice a year.”
This incident was the fourth this summer.
Other gas stations in the area have the same problem. The Conoco at the corner of Stampede Avenue and 17th Street in Cody has signs warning anyone who drives off with a gas nozzle must pay a $300 fine.
Siebert credits the mistake to people leaving gas pumps unattended while they fill up.
“People go inside, buy stuff or look around, and then they get in their car and leave,” she said. “They get sidetracked or distracted, especially if they leave the pumps unattended.”
Break Away
In the past, anyone who drove off with a gas nozzle and hose could cause serious damage to the entire unit. Today, there’s technology to minimize the potential damage.
The pumps at Wapiti Red Barn have fuel-line hose breakaways. They were designed to anticipate people pulling hoses off the pumps.
“If someone pulls the hose off, it just disconnects and nothing flows through it,” Siebert said. “If it works correctly, it should just snap off.”
Siebert and her husband and co-owner, Fred, were able to reconnect the hose. That’s not always possible.
“We're watching it to make sure that it's working properly,” she said. “Sometimes you can reconnect it, but sometimes you have to replace the whole thing.”
Replacing a damaged breakaway can cost around $300. That’s a big expense for a family-owned gas station.
“Gas stations don't make much money on fuel,” she said. “I have to sell a lot of gas to replace $300 worth of equipment, if that's what they even cost nowadays. I wouldn't be surprised if hoses are even more expensive now.”
Be Honest
The previous three breakaways at the Red Barn had a better resolution for the Sieberts. The people responsible immediately informed them, and there was no serious damage.
Siebert is still hoping to identify the women responsible for Wednesday’s breakaway.
“We've been watching to see if they come down again,” she said. “I'm assuming that it's not a local, (so) it’s somebody who was probably staying at one of the Airbnb cabins up the road. That’s my speculation.”
That’s why Siebert wishes more people were “honest” when they make an honest mistake.
“Please be honest,” she said. “Come back in, own up to your damage, and let us know so we can fix it. Don’t drive off and expect others to clean up your negligence.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
