If there’s a life-threatening emergency in your camp, or you experience or encounter an emergency on playa, you have options to get help. First and foremost yell for help! Flag down any person with a radio — this includes the Black Rock Rangers, Emergency Services Department, Bureau of Land Management, and Pershing County Sheriff’s Office — and ask for help. They can get you a medical response, fire response or law enforcement, and will likely be much faster than utilizing the 911 system. Cell service in BRC is spotty at best, and if you are able to connect via 911, it may take time for them to contact law enforcement on the playa, who will then relay information to our medical and fire responders as needed.
Black Rock Rangers are experienced Burners who volunteer their time to help solve problems in Black Rock City. You can find them patrolling the city in pairs, and on shift at 5:45 and Esplanade, as well as the 9:00@C and 3:00@C plazas. Black Rock Rangers aren’t law enforcement. Each Ranger pair is trained how to handle emergency and law enforcement requests, and in how to help resources get to where they’re needed in Black Rock City.
Black Rock City has a Nevada-licensed emergency care center, three fully staffed first aid stations, on-site ambulances, and fire response.
You can also call directly for help to BRC 911 using a radio. To learn more about using a radio for emergency reporting, read this page.
If you experience a crime during the event, make sure to report it promptly. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office is the agency of jurisdiction responsible for responding and investigating reported crimes. It is imperative you report the crime before leaving Black Rock City — at the Law Enforcement trailer on the Esplanade near Rampart or by calling 775-273-5111— it’s extremely difficult to investigate a crime post-event when camps, cars, evidence and witnesses are gone. Insurance agencies typically require a law enforcement report to file claims of theft.