Other Situation-Specific Procedures

This page covers non-emergency procedures. Also see the main Situation-Specific Procedures page.

Found Child

Unlike a LOST child, a FOUND child is not an emergency. However, it is very important to report a found child to Khaki immediately! Try to find out more about the child and their caretakers before bringing the child anywhere. Usually it is best to stay with the child where they are found, talk to other participants, and let Khaki dispatch resources to try to find the caretakers. Rangers should stay together as a team--a Ranger should not be left alone with an unattended child.

Disoriented Participant

It is likely that you will encounter a participant who is “disoriented” in some way during your rangering - drunk, overtired, dehydrated, partying hard, etc.. Very few of these encounters would constitute an “incident”. However, there are a few things to look out for as signals that the situation many need to be FLAMED with your partner and Khaki consulted.

When to FLAME a situation with a participant:

• If other participants express concern about a participant
• If the participant is in a potentially unsafe environment
• If the participant’s actions seem to be potentially dangerous for themselves or others

You will likely still “do nothing” to intervene in many situations, but you can always Find out, Listen, and Analyze!

Unattended Fire

Unattended Fires are a shared community responsibility; all participants should address any unattended fire they find.

If an unattended fire is found, the finder (Ranger, Fire Core/FAST, participant), should say aloud "Is anyone watching this fire pit? It looks unattended." If necessary, repeat louder. Attempt to find a camp member.

If someone appears or takes responsibility, please use the opportunity to educate them on the importance of not starting forest fires ("Only you...") and encourage proper attendance of the fire pit.

If there is no response after the second call, put the fire out with whatever means you have available. All fire pits should have a water bucket and shovel.

If you do not feel comfortable putting it out, contact Khaki. Note: Fire Core volunteers are not always available handle routine unattended fires.

Any unattended fire found by either Rangers or Fire Core should be reported to Khaki and recorded in the Ranger Log; include time, date, location, the camp name, and your attempt to locate a responsible party. Make sure to record all details in your notebook so that you can make an accurate report to Khaki via radio or in-person.

Note: this is for ANY unattended fire, not just fire pits.

Wristbands

All Firefly participants should be aware of who is at the event, and if someone seems out of place, they should check wristbands. We have started to have more walk-ons from neighboring land, and as the event gets bigger, this is something we need to be aware of.

Note: Fire spinners wear their bands on their ankles. So a good question to ask if you see someone without a wristband is, “are you a fire spinner”? This is a good opener to start FLAMING: finding out and listening, and then let Khaki know if you think someone might have entered the event without permission.

If you find someone who does not have a wristband, you should report it to Khaki who will report it to the Board to handle. FLAME the situation, but do not be confrontational or attempt to remove anyone from the event.

Accessibility / Live Animals

If you see someone with a live animal (domestic or otherwise) at Firefly:

• Do not approach the animal or attempt to pet it
• Radio into Khaki to describe the animal

Burn Perimeter

THERE IS A NEW PERIMETER CORE, but having Ranger training can be helpful. There are 2 burn perimeters at Firefly: the Bug Burn, and the Temple Burn. This section is here since it has useful information sometime useful to Rangers.

If you are interest in signing up, to prepare for burn perimeter:

• Wear non-synthetic clothing (cotton or wool)
• Wear shoes/boots that you can squat in
• Bring a long-sleeved shift/jacket, as it will get dark and colder.
• Bring a headlamp
• Bring a water bottle & snacks
• If you have long hair, be prepared to tie it back or put on a bandana.

You will be asked to be in the field about an hour before the burn is scheduled to begin. There are important instructions and quadrant assignments will be made, so please show up on time.

Points to remember

Perimeter volunteers are not authority figures. If you need the crowd to sit, try recruiting someone in the front to help act as an example. Engage with participants and get to know them. We’re all there to have fun!

Please be aware, you will be facing the crowd instead of the effigy.

For an idea of Burning Man’s perimeter, you can go here:

http://burningman.org/event/art-performance/fire-art-guidelines/safety-perimeters/

PDF overview

See next Section, Basic Ranger Skills, or return to the Table of Contents.