CA21: This is Not a Drill - Safety and Communications at Burning Man

This is Not a Drill - Safety and Communications at Burning Man
Presented by Ian Gallagher & Morgan Davis - Burning Man, Volunteers
This presentation was part of the Comm Academy 2021 conference.
Slides: drive.google.c...
Session Details: commacademy202...
Find out more about Comm Academy at www.commacadem...
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Get a look into Burning Man, a week long event in the remote Nevada high-desert with 70,000 people, from the perspective of an ESD (Emergency Services Department) Dispatcher, and a Black Rock Ranger - two of the volunteer safety departments in Black Rock City (BRC).
What do the roles entail, what types of incidents & issues arise... and how we rely on effective communications, ICS protocols, and IMS to interface with other BRC departments, local and federal authorities - to effectively manage the various emergent situations that arise in the real world of an event of this scale and environment.

[@oberonhahn3547]

Excellent presentation! The last half was especially informative since I am always interested in the support systems and available resources for an emergency.

[@tonyd6071]

Very interesting talk. I do a little volunteering with our clubs in Orlando. I’m curious how many volunteers there are with the ticket prices being quite high.

[@cdine]

Hi Tony, there's easily over 10,000 volunteers, some of which work year-round - not just at the event. The ticket cost of course contributes to a lot of things beyond volunteer time as well, including a smaller number of paid staff, state/federal permitting, medical contracts, suppliers, and innumerable other items to support a city of 70+k people for a week!
burningman.org/event/participate/volunteering/faq/

[@Vikingza]

Excellent presentation!! I have a few questions from the presentation,
1. What Computer Aided Dispatch program do you use at burning man?
2. Do you have a Amateur frequency as a Emergency Reporting Frequency (A Ham 911 system)?
3. What paging system do you use? Is it a UHF POSAC system?
Thank you, 73

[@cdine]

Hi there! I've been asked not to share specifics beyond what I had in the presentation about the CAD and Pager systems, but they are not uncommon deployments. As for the emergency reporting / participant 911 system - we don't use amateur radio bands for that, but permit participants to use part-approved radios on pre-determined licensed frequencies each year to report in to the dispatcher's 911 system. I won't mention any specific frequencies here - not in an attempt to keep them "private" or "secure", but because they may change year by year. They'll always be posted on the Burning Man website, and you can see the details including latest frequency/tone here: burningman.org/event/preparation/health-safety/emergency-contact/#911serviceinblackrockcity

[@davidkozicki9693]

In addition to "volunteering," do you have to also buy a ticket? How many hours do you volunteer during the week?

[@cdine]

It depends, but in general you still need to get your own ticket. From the Burning Man website - "Unlike many other events, volunteering at Burning Man does not automatically equal a ticket. If it does occur, it usually applies to volunteers who work within the organization year-round and are highly accountable. These are not roles that are easy to jump into. So, as a rule of thumb, you should always use your own methods to obtain your ticket, and not expect to receive it from the team for which you volunteer." (burningman.org/event/volunteering/first-time/).
Many people volunteer different amounts per year, and that also varies greatly depending on what department you're working with. At the last event I worked 6 dispatch shifts, for a bit over 48 hours. My first year I worked three (the position's minimum requirement), about 24 hours throughout a week and a half or so.

[@davidkozicki9693]

@@cdine Thank you for the comprehensive answer.