Black Rock Rangers

Black Rock Rangers are participants, just like everyone else who attends Burning Man. Wearing white hats with the Black Rock Ranger logo and khaki-colored attire, Rangers are veteran members of the Burning Man community who volunteer to help mediate disagreements, address safety concerns, direct participants to resources and information, find lost kids, and even just help put a fresh set of eyes and ears on sticky problems. You can request their assistance at any time for disputes, emergencies, or questions. 

The Rangers’ ideal outcome is to help people solve their own problems with a gentle nudge in the right direction, and then fade into the dust when they’re not needed. Rangers can radio for law enforcement, medical and mental health staff, firefighting resources, and environmental clean-up teams if necessary. Black Rock Rangers are not law enforcement agents.

Black Rock Rangers do not engage physically with participants. Instead, Rangers rely on tools such as education, negotiation, and an appeal to the 10 Principles to resolve conflicts.

Black Rock Rangers are available 24/7 throughout Black Rock City, and at Ranger Headquarters at 5:45 & Esplanade. Assistance is also available at Ranger Outposts in the 3:00 & C and 9:00 & C plazas. Black Rock Rangers wander Black Rock City on foot, in pairs, and in marked vehicles. 

Emergency Services Department (ESD)

Black Rock City Emergency Services Department personnel wear yellow shirts labeled “Emergency Services” and feature the ESD logo on their uniforms and vehicles. They provide BRC with firefighting, emergency medical, and crisis intervention services. ESD is not part of any law enforcement or outside agency. Medical Stations are located on the Esplanade at 5:15, behind the plazas at 3:00 & C and 9:00 & C. Look for the lighted red cross above each station.

Crisis Intervention Services

Black Rock City can be a hyper-stimulating place. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, trained peer support volunteers from the Zendo Project and the Green Dot team of the Black Rock Rangers are there to support you. The Zendo Project facilities are entirely run by participants and are located near the 3 and 9 portals between C-D. 

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need psychological support, the Emergency Services Department’s Crisis Intervention Team is also available. Ask a Black Rock Ranger or Emergency Service personnel for help. If needed, they will contact the Crisis Intervention Team for you, or you can go to their Survivor Advocacy Center next to the Medical Station at 5:15 & Esplanade. Ranger Outposts are located at the 3:00 & C and 9:00 & C plazas.

Law Enforcement Substation on Esplanade

If you need law enforcement assistance, please wave down a patrol unit, find a Black Rock Ranger who will help you contact law enforcement, or visit the law enforcement substation at 5:15 and Esplanade. The station is open 24/7 during the event and is staffed by Law Enforcement for assistance.

Ice Sales

Ice is sold at Arctica in the Center Camp Plaza, in the 3:00 & G and 9:00 & G plazas on G, and bulk sales at 6:15 & K. During the event, Monday to Saturday hours are 9 am to 6 pm, Sunday noon to 6pm, and Exodus Monday at the Center Camp Plaza location only, from 9 am to noon. Come prepared with means to transport your ice back to camp. Pre-event, ice is available at two locations: The Center Camp Arctica, Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6pm; and Ice 9 (9:00 & G), Saturday and Sunday pre-event from noon to 6pm. Credit cards, Apple Pay, and cash are accepted at all locations. While cash is accepted, electronic payments are preferred. 

Information (a.k.a. Playa Info)

Playa Info, now located at 5:45 & Esplanade, is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers ready to answer your questions 9am to 6pm, unless otherwise posted. You can find American Sign Language interpreters from 9am to 10pm, emergency road and lockout services, and other services and information. You can use the Playa Info Directory 24/7 to find theme camp locations, event schedules, ride-shares, register yourself and your camp location, and to look up friends. Note: there is no internet access. Playa Info’s large BRC maps show theme camp locations, and bulletin boards are available for posting events, messages, and general information.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters

We continue to welcome and support all Deaf, and Hard of Hearing Burners in Black Rock City with ASL@BRC. This project provides certified ASL interpreters to assist Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and hearing Burners in communicating with each other during the event, as well as emergency interpreter support on-site. As a walk-up service, ASL interpreters can be reached via Playa Info during event week between 9am and 10pm. For urgent needs after hours, please contact 1) Black Rock Ranger Walk-up windows at 5:45 & Esplanade, or 2) any Burning Man staff with a radio, who can request interpreters be paged.

Lost & Found: Label it!

The best way to increase the chances of having a lost item reunited with you is to mark your possessions with your name, mailing address, and email or phone number.  It’s especially important to have this information attached to your phone and in your backpack. If you find something, bring it to Lost & Found at Playa Info (5:45 & Esplanade); drop boxes are available after hours. After the event, access the Lost & Found database online. Lost & Found does not accept bikes! Please leave bikes where you found them. 

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to step up participation and connect with other vibrant volunteers. You just might meet future besties and join a team that inspires you for many years to come. There are ample opportunities to get involved and we encourage all citizens of BRC to stop by the V-Spot, open 9am-5pm daily at 5:45 & Esplanade to learn more.

You can also learn more about volunteering here and download a Volunteer Survival Guide.

ARTery

The ARTery is the on-playa home of the Burning Man Art Department and serves as the check-in and service center for artists, as well as a hub of information about Burning Man art. If you are interested in learning more about the art at Burning Man, head on over to the ARTery at 6:30 & Esplanade. Inside you will find the most up-to-date information about scheduled burns, art discovery tours, artist talks, and more. The ARTery is open daily from 9am-6pm.  

The ARTery is committed to tracking and mitigating all incidents of art vandalism on playa.  If you see an artwork that has been or is being vandalized, please come to the ARTery to file a report. Reports can be made anonymously and are an important part of preventing vandalized or damaged art in the future. 

Biological MOOP (urinating or defecating on the artwork) is also vandalism. It’s a terrible surprise for the artists the next day — it’s also disgusting, completely counter to our community values, and shows an unforgivable lack of respect and responsibility. Please encourage your campmates and friends to visit the porta-potties on the open playa (marked by blue lights) instead.   

To learn more about what Burning Man’s art team does (and doesn’t do), see the ARTery information page.

Placement

Placement is the department that maps and supports the building of all of Black Rock City’s placed camps and theme camps. If you’re in a placed camp that needs help, looking for a camping spot in open camping, or have a conflict with a neighboring camp, stop by Placement Headquarters at 5:45 & Esplanade. Placement Headquarters is open daily from 9am-6pm.

Burning Man 365 Days a Year: Global Activation

The nonprofit Burning Man Project supports and nurtures participants around the world who engage in initiatives and projects inspired by the Burning Man ethos and the 10 Principles. To learn more about Burning Man Project, Burners Without Borders, Fly Ranch and the Burning Man Regional Network, visit Burners Without Borders camp at Esplanade & 3:45. Learn how you can Burn 365 days a year in 365: A Burning Man Field Guide.

BMIR 94.5 FM

Burning Man Information Radio (BMIR) 94.5 FM broadcasts travel, emergency, general information, and community programming 24 hours a day. BMIR will also be available on mobile devices via iHeart, providing traffic reports three times an hour during entry and Exodus. Stop by BMIR between 12pm and 4pm daily to record promos for your events and happenings… tell the city what you’re up to!

GARS 95.1 FM

Gate Advisory Radio Station (GARS), 95.1 FM, provides you with up-to-date wait times, closures and traffic reports, as well as ways to ease the entry and exodus process. 

Press & Media

Any commercial, editorial, or otherwise non-personal use of Black Rock City photos, video, or sound recordings is not permitted without prior written permission from Burning Man Project. All media professionals with intent to distribute content publicly (including art galleries, publications, or blogs) must register as professional media prior to the event and check in at Media Mecca at 6:30 & Esplanade (this is a new location for 2024). Participants sharing images for personal use are not required to register, but still must adhere to the Photo and Video Rights and Responsibilities and Burning Man Project’s Ticket Terms and Conditions. It is your responsibility to ask for consent before taking a photograph or video recording of someone. Questions? Visit Media Mecca.

Airport & Pilot Policies

Black Rock City Municipal Airport is a temporary, private airport (FAA identifier 88NV). The Airport is operational from 8am to 6pm daily for NEW ARRIVING passengers (note the change from previous years); during Exodus the hours change to 6am-6:30pm for outbound traffic. Passenger drop-offs and pick-ups are prohibited except by Mutant Vehicle or Airport/Burner Express Air Shuttle. If you ride your bike to the airport, please ride it back to the city. To find the Airport, take 5:00 and head toward the perimeter fence, you can’t miss it. Pilots wishing to fly to BRC must land at 88NV and comply with all Airport rules. All pilots must pre-register at airport.burningman.org. All aircraft occupants (including the pilot) must have a valid Burning Man ticket and pay the $75 per-person airport use fee. Will Call tickets can be picked up at the Airport Box Office (AirBox) between 8am and 7pm.

Earth Guardians

Earth Guardians inspire Burners to embrace Leaving No Trace and live more sustainably on and off the playa. If you have questions about sustainable camping or the Black Rock National Conservation Area, visit Earth Guardians on the Esplanade or check out their website at www.earthguardians.net.

Burn Gardens / Wood Donation Stations

Now located only on 5:30 & Esplanade in front of MOOP Map HQ, burn platforms for the BURNING OF WOOD ONLY will be open to the community from Sunday, September 1, at 10am through Tuesday, September 3. Our friendly volunteer staff will be on hand to direct you as well as receive any donations of new and unused lumber. NO BURNING CARDBOARD, PAPER, COMPOST, RECYCLING, TRASH, OR TOXIC MATERIALS IN THE BURN PLATFORMS.

Recycle Camp

Pre-crush and sort your empty aluminum cans into a mesh bag (so they dry out!), then bring them to Recycle Camp between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Sunday, at 5:30&A. Come ride the CRUSHINATOR, our-state-of-the-ART bicycle-powered aluminum can-crushing machine. Come by early (don’t wait until the last day!), come by often (we have great fun!), but by all means come before 5pm Sunday, or you’ll have to pack them out yourself. No plastic, tin, or steel, please. All proceeds are donated to the Gerlach school.

RV Servicing

There is no recreational vehicle dumping station in Black Rock City, and you may not dump on the playa. BLM issues citations for dumping or leaking gray or black water. You are responsible for preventing and remediating leaks. There is no location for scheduling RV servicing. If you see a truck designated “RV servicing,” you can flag it down. Many trucks are servicing infrastructure and not RVs, so be sure to look for the sign. The only vendor authorized to provide cash sales of pumping services is United Site Services. Note: pumping services only include removal of gray and black water — not a potable water fill. Use only one-ply toilet paper.

Fuel Safety and Storage

All participants using fuels in their camps, art installation, or mutant vehicle (or for other purposes) at Black Rock City must educate themselves about and comply with appropriate practices for storing and handling these materials. Not only is this essential for safety but it is also required as part of our event permit stipulations with the Bureau of Land Management. Be sure to review the revised and updated 2024 Fuel and Hazardous Materials Storage requirement before planning your Camp Layout.

One of the ways you can help us protect the playa is by storing as little fuel as possible in your camp. Each point of transfer is a risk of spill, fire or worse. Black Rock City PETROL’s BRC Fuel Program provides Art Projects, Mutant Vehicles and Theme Camps the ability to purchase fuel on playa. It is preferable to have large generators filled daily by the PETROL Department rather than storing fuel in your camp and filling equipment yourself.

The BRC Fuel Program is for registered Art Projects, Mutant Vehicles and Theme Camps with higher volume needs, as well as registered support vehicles. It is not available for passenger vehicles, RVs, and participants who did not go through the application process. If this means you, plan to bring in your own fuel. This fuel safety program is intended to reduce the amount of traffic transporting large loads of fuel into the event as well as the need for large fuel storage in camps.

Subscribe to the BRC Utilities Greener Power Newsletter for tips to reduce your fuel consumption on playa.

Burn Perimeter Support (BPS)

Burn Perimeter Support trains and provides volunteers to help stand the perimeter line at art burns of all sizes. These perimeters are set at a predetermined radius where participants can congregate and watch these spectacular events that may involve pyrotechnics, falling embers, and sometimes fire tornadoes. By keeping the crowd at a safe distance, BPS has the important job of keeping an eye on the crowd, instead of watching the fantastic display behind them.  

You will see BPS volunteers standing on the perimeter, with reflective safety vests on and flashlights in hand, sometimes requesting you to redirect. If you approach the perimeter, within the first few rows, they will request you take a seat. It may look like a wide open space inside the perimeter, or even a great shortcut.  The job of Burn Perimeter Support is to keep folks out. This is for your safety, and the safety of everyone involved.  

If you attend any of the art burns, please keep a good eye out for this safety perimeter. Bikes need to be dropped off at the back of the crowd somewhere around 50’ from the perimeter. They pose a major tripping hazard, and no one wants an injury on playa. 

To learn more about what Burn Perimeter Support does, see the Burn Perimeter Support Volunteer Page