Happy Holidays with Gratitude to our Firefighters and our Government Contracting Clients!

Kaden Sanderson with Drop Tyne Services LLC out of Dubois turned a common childhood interest in moving dirt into a full-time career. As a lineman in Dubois for four years, Sanderson worked four days a week. Being the busy body that he is, he started side gigging on his days off grabbing construction jobs, mostly earth moving in nature, when he could. He sat down with a mentor and began to discuss how he could make this side gig a full-time reality, eventually buying a mini-excavator. Kaden contacted Apex last fall to begin getting registered on SAM so he could pursue government contracts.

Sanderson quit his job in February and began working full-time for himself, and he hasn’t slowed down since. He has landed multiple contracts and purchased a mid-size excavator with plans to bring on more employees and equipment. Much of this work was through Sanderson’s pursuit of networking with his local forest service offices – quickly responding to needs such as purchasing and hauling $50,000 of rock halfway across the state for a forest service project. And then the fires happened in the late summer.

During the Fish Creek and Pack Trail fires between Dubois and Moran, Drop Tyne Services was uniquely positioned to respond nimbly and effectively to fire suppression demands, focusing primarily on earthmoving operations for road construction and fire line creation.  Sanderson’s success stemmed not just from his proximity to the fires, but also from his unwavering “can-do” spirit and drive to succeed. He consistently demonstrated a willingness to act swiftly, even when faced with challenges in manpower or equipment availability.  In our short time working with Sanderson, he has landed three government contracts and is planning feverishly for fire support next year. Like all of us, Sanderson does not wish for wildfires, but he’s aware that businesses need to be involved in fire suppression, and he’s not blind to the economic growth potential.

Speaking with Jon Warder, Bighorn National Forest Fire Management Officer, the initial Type 3 incident commander for the Clearwater Fire West of Cody and for the Elk Fire in the Big Horns, vendors such as Drop Tyne Services are invaluable to wildfire response. “Our ability to respond to wildfires is not possible without vendors, whether in the operational resources of crews, aircraft, heavy equipment, engines, or logistical support needs, such as caterers, showers, porta-potties, and on and on.” The National Forest Service finds these vendors through their ongoing contract system, VIPR and through AIMS (links at end of article), but also with vendors signed up “locally” on incidents as needed, which is why Apex encourages businesses to network with their local BLM and forest service offices. “We so value our local and national vendors who show up to help make firefighting successful. There were literally hundreds of private vendors used on the Elk Fire, and many on the Clearwater Fire as well,” according to Warder.

She knew a guy that knew a guy that knew a guy…….  

It was through these relationships that Tipsy Cow of Greybull worked tirelessly to support fire suppression on the Crater Ridge Fire in 2023 and then on both the Pack Trail and Elk Fires this late summer. The Tipsy Cow is a full-service restaurant and bar with a friendly western atmosphere owned by Jane Forschler and partner Paul Flath for the past five years. She knew a colleague that supplied porta-potties. He knew the incident commander for the Dubois Fire. He said to Forschler, “Hey, they need a caterer, would you ever do that?” A few years later, with the support of the Apex team in navigating the SAM registration process and expanding her professional connections, Forschler made the decision to temporarily close her restaurant on multiple occasions to provide crucial support to local wildfire response efforts. The community has been highly understanding, and her income during these periods has often exceeded her weekly earnings from restaurant operations.

“It comes with a price,” says Jane who works alongside her partner Paul Flath weeks at a time only sleeping from midnight until 3 AM. “There were multiple times we were told we’d be feeding breakfast, lunch, and dinner to 80 people, and the next thing we knew it was 165 men and women.”  Operating from makeshift kitchens in remote mountain locations presented significant logistical challenges. Despite these obstacles, Forschler and Flath consistently rose to the occasion, adapting their menu when necessary – even serving an improvised ‘” blank” on a stick’ one evening due to a shortage of Salsbury steak. While unconventional, this creative solution undoubtedly provided much-needed sustenance and a morale boost to the exhausted firefighters after a long day on the line. “Yes, the money has been good. We’ve been able to pay off an entire building loan from our work this summer alone, but we do it for the people. These folks are so hungry and tired and grateful.  Forschler may not consider herself and Flath first responders, but they hold an invaluable role in supporting firefighters and demonstrate a true spirit of heroism in their efforts.

There were heroes everywhere this summer and fall. If you lived in Jackson, Dubois, Sheridan, Cody, Ranchester or Dayton, they were ever-present. The Wyoming Apex Accelerator staff want to dedicate this article and sentiment during this special time of year to tell our first responders, firefighters, and clients that we are grateful for what you do, and proudly encourage and support our clients and new clients alike to be prepared and ready to support the continuous firefighting effort that is our reality during the summer and fall months in Wyoming. For more information on how to do that, please contact your Apex Accelerator team at: wyapex@uwyo.edu. Fore more information on the USDA’s VIPR program and AIMS please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/business/incident/vipr.php?tab=tab_d  and At-Incident Management Support (AIMS) – aims