Who are the Black Rock Rangers?

The Black Rock Rangers first and foremost are members of the Burning Man community.
Our cadre' of volunteers - identified by our khaki-colored uniforms and white hats - represent a large cross-section of society and, more importantly, reflect the myriad of unique individuals who venture to the desert each year to participate in our novel and challenging exercise in temporary community. We come not only from all quarters of the US but the larger global community as well to volunteer our time and efforts to fill the role of non-confrontational community mediators. Responding to the fluid and continuously evolving nature of the event, we address within our community situations that would otherwise require outside intervention.

It is important to note that the Black Rock Rangers are not law enforcement personnel. However, because Black Rock City stands at the intersection of several legal jurisdictions represented on the playa by the Pershing County Sheriffs Department, the Washoe County Sheriffs Department, Bureau of Land Management Law enforcement, Nevada State Highway Patrol, and other Nevada state agencies we are at times required to interface with them when permit obligations require us to do so. In addition to our own peculiar rules - our no vending policy, our prescribed speed limits, or our ban on firearms -- Black Rock City is also subject to the same laws that govern public conduct in any city. We also work cooperatively with law enforcement groups in dealing with criminal conduct such as theft, assault, domestic violence and child abuse. Every year we call on law enforcement to help us with a very small number of evictions or to deal with violent behavior. This year combined federal and state arrests in Black Rock City significantly decreased.

As a non-confrontational mediating agency, the Rangers help to resolve disputes within our community, but they also bridge the gap between the ethos and the culture of our citizens and the needs and responsibilities of law enforcement. As first responders, we are often able to effectively mediate disputes and interpret our city's rules in ways that avoid larger and sometimes negative results which might ordinarily result in more negative consequences for the individuals or groups involved. To that end we have been very successful in carrying out our mission since the Ranger's inception back in 1992.

Rangers also promote awareness of potential hazards, from sunstroke, dehydration, fire and safety issues, personal injury, illness, evictions, potential structural hazards associated with structural design, camp layout, camp location, as well as dealing with lost and disoriented individuals.

There are as many different reasons for being a Ranger as there are Rangers. Our strength comes from the diversity of our backgrounds and experiences. The most important qualification for being a Ranger is the desire to be an interactive participant. Helpful qualities include a sense of humor, flexibility, integrity, patience, empathy, focus and an unwavering commitment to both the event and the participants who make it happen.

The Black Rock Rangers are the core infrastructure for the community during the event. Their strength comes from the diversity of backgrounds and experiences; they are communicators, medics, firefighters, counselors, educators, technicians, activists, lawyers, doctors, housewives/husbands and concerned citizens. We are the mediators of public safety and providers of information. The key to the organization's success is that the Rangers are not the "other" guys: they are the participants, and work throughout the city and its perimeters to ensure the collective survival of the community.

To prepare for the event a good number of Rangers work throughout the year in preparing for our week (or two) on the playa. Coordination, communication, training and face-to-face meetings during the year all go into assuring that when we arrive on the playa each of us are ready to start working in our various roles almost immediately. In fact, the bulk of planning and coordination is carried out by our volunteers during much of the year. The Ranger Ops (operations) Team and the Ranger Council work in tandem to insure that all bases are covered before we ever arrive on the playa. Plans are put forth for our mandatory trainings which are held starting in late spring and which continue through the summer leading up to the August event date. Trainings take place in San Francisco with regional trainings taking place in Seattle, Sacramento, New York, Texas, Maryland, Southern California with possibly other sites/venues expanding for 2004.

NOTE: If you would like to be a Black Rock Ranger at Burning Man you must attend one of the trainings. Date and location of the trainings will be posted on this site in the near future. Also, be aware that we require previous attendance to at least one Burning Man event prior to be considered for a role as a Ranger.

Other areas of Ranger responsibility include Sanctuary which is staffed by trained personnel familiar with the nuances of dealing with disoriented, grieving, 'altered' or otherwise mentally/physically exhausted folk who find themselves needing a respite from the many challenges that the event can place on people.

Another invaluable asset to the Rangers comes in the form of the Mentoring Team which see that all new first time Rangers are oriented to the many tasks and roles of being a Ranger. Mentors take newly accepted first time Ranges who've completed the training and show them the 'ropes' as far as exercising the Art of Rangering.

By far the most visible and effective of our bunch are the Dirt Rangers. These are the folks who walk the walk. The one's you're most likely to encounter when doing your own walkabout through Black Rock City. Helpful, engaging and informative, Dirt Rangers are the ones who make the difference in our temporary city in the desert. They're the one's you see sitting point on The Man, the ones who on Burn Night form the circle around the epicenter of our event. Coordinating with the Fire Conclave, Dirt Rangers establish a perimeter of safety so that performers can be seen and potential injuries due to crowd swelling are minimized. They're the one's you see in Center Camp throughout the day and on into the early hours of the morning often in pairs either on foot or traversing the Black Rock City on their bicycles. If you're exceptionally hardy and love to ride, our Rn'R Team might be the ticket for you. Quiet, fast and ultimately the first team to arrive on a scene, the Rn'R Team is perhaps one of our most valuable assets in performing our role for the citizens of the city.

There are three main gathering points for Rangers. Because of the size of our event it was recognized years ago that the best way to serve the event was to establish a series of 'outposts' Known as camps Tokyo and Berlin, these outposts are located at 3:00 and 9:00 on the Esplanade respectively. Ranger HQ is at 6:00 and is located towards the back and behind Center Camp. There, Rangers are always present to field your questions, take reports and dispatch response teams as appropriate. Our Sanctuary facility is also located adjacent to Ranger HQ as well.