Get Involved
Thank you for your interest in Rangering this year! We look forward to seeing you at training and rangering together in the woods! If you have any questions, please email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org.
NOTE: To volunteer for the Firefly Rangers, we ask that you have either attended Firefly a previous year, or that you have experience rangering at other burns.
Ranger Survey
Please fill out the 2024 Ranger survey! This will let you know that you are interested. Included is a list of dates when we offer Ranger training (you can also see list below.)
Training Overview
All Firefly Rangers are required to do training every year. We make some changes each year, so please be patient!
In preparation for training, please review the materials in this wiki indicated below for your level of experience.
If you have any questions about your level of experience and requirements, email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org
"Full basic training" includes Policy & Procedure, Basic Ranger Skills, and Radio Basics. All off-site Firefly trainings include all of these. These are also covered by Black Rock City Ranger trainings (offered around the country), although we ask you to review our Policy & Procedures since many are Firefly-specific.
Alphas (1st year)
If this is your first year rangering, you will be an “alpha." You will need full basic training (see above).
You must have attended Firefly a previous year, or have rangering experience at another burn (if so, see section on New Experienced Rangers below.) If you have any questions, email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org
Choose a Ranger Handle
If you don’t already have a Ranger Handle, you will need one to be a Ranger! A Ranger Handle is a unique (i.e., no one else using it at Firefly this year), radio-friendly name that has some personal meaning to you. Most are two to three syllables. Please do not use your legal name.
If you would like to change your Ranger handle, please contact the Personnel Team ranger-personnel@lists.fireflyartscollective.org.
Shiny Pennies (2nd Year)
If this is your second year rangering, you are a “shiny penny”. You still need full basic training (see above) but you are invited to also take other trainings such as Echelon, Conflict Resolution, or Mentoring.
Returning Rangers (3rd+ Year)
If you have rangered two or more years, you will need to take P & P. If you haven’t done full training recently, we ask you to take Basic Ranger Skills.
You are also encouraged to take advanced training modules: Intro to Khaki (required for KIT & Khaki), Advanced Khaki I-Leadership Skills, Advanced Khaki II-Problem Solving, Conflict Resolution, Echelon, Mentoring, and ICS trainings.
New Experienced Rangers
We are always happy to have rangers joining us from other burns. Depending on your level of experience, you may be eligible for exceptions to training requirements. If have not been to Firefly before, we ask that you take our Firefly-specific Policy & Procedure, offered at all our trainings (including onsite.) Please contact rangers@fireflyartscollective.org for more information.
Please be aware that there are some differences between Firefly and other burns, particularly Burning man.
- Layout. We expect all our rangers to be able to navigate Firefly effectively. Please take some time when you arrive to familiarize yourself with path names, major camps, and different areas/landmarks (eg, the Field, the Pool). You can also take a look at the map ahead of time.
- We are a much smaller event (about 1000 participants), and as such everything is smaller.
- Our ranger council is much smaller and hands-on that the BRC Ranger council
- Echelon at Firefly is stationary at HQ. See Echelon description.
- We do NOT have law enforcement, EMT, or Firefighters on site at all times.
- We use ICS for emergencies. See ICS section.
- We have a different Early Arrival process, as well as Exodus. If you have questions, please email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org.
If you have any questions about your level of experience and requirements, email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org
Ranger Training Opportunities
Complete the 2024 Ranger survey to sign up for one of these training dates. You only need to attend one of these. If you have to change your training date or none of these work for you, email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org.
Local Trainings in June (In-person)
Dates TBD
In-person in Cambridge area, Tuesday night 6pm (date TBD)
In-person in Cambridge area, weekend
Virtual Trainings in June
Dates TBD:
Virtual, weeknight 6pm
Virtual, weekend
Black Rock Ranger Trainings
Sign up at http://rangers.burningman.org/training/
The Boston area BRR training date has not yet been announced.
Onsite Training
TBD at Firefly Ranger HQ
We strongly suggest attending one of the pre-event trainings in Cambridge if you are able to, as onsite training is often shortened and intended for out-of-town rangers. Email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org for more information.
Shift sign up
2023 sign up through volunteer system: https://volunteer.fireflyartscollective.org/team/361 [In process of being updated]
For reference, 2022 Shift Sign up link
New Rangers ("ALPHAS"): When you do sign up for shifts, your first shift will be as an “Alpha” ranger, where you walk with a mentor. Subsequent shifts will be regular “dirt” shifts.
Note: any "dirt" shift can be a mentor shift if there are alphas who need mentors, you have rangered at least one year, and you are comfortable mentoring.
See At-Event Ranger Roles for more details on eligibility for particular roles.
Graveyard & Late-in-Event Shifts
If you are able to do any 2am-6am shift, or any shifts from the Bug Burn onwards (Friday night onwards), PLEASE sign up for these shifts! We always have a hard time filling these shifts, and are very grateful to volunteers who take these on. (We also have a special item of swag for rangers who do these shifts.)
Keep In Touch
Any rangers who fill out the survey will be added to the ranger allcom list; you should also receive an invitation to join our Facebook group. Please keep an eye out for announcements!
If you have any questions, please email rangers@fireflyartscollective.org.
Changes and Highlights for 2024
For returning Rangers, notes about what has changed since last year.
2024 Ranger Council Changes
Ranger Co-Leads: Roomba & Dolphin
Other council members: KT, Tall German, KitKat
See Current Ranger leadership for more about the Ranger council.
2022 Changes:
Officer of the Day
Officer of the Day is no longer be a Ranger role, as it is pivoting over to a daily event lead drawn from Safety Cluster volunteers to act as a liaison between the Safety Cluster and the Board as well as a resource for Khaki to call upon for incidents or complex situations that may escalate to use Incident Command System, allowing Khaki to manage Ranger resources as needed for the event instead of having cascading responsibilities.
Green Dot Rangers / Sanctuary
In discussions with Sanctuary, there will be a greater emphasis in resolving issues in the field with Rangers, such that Rangers with a familiar with the circumstances of a situation or Green Dot/sanctuary training should take the first pass at reaching a resolution first and then escalating to Sanctuary for more complex cases
Fire Art Safety Team
Fire Art Safety Team has asked/empowered Rangers to perform due diligence/extinguishing rights for unattended fires in order to focus their personnel on inspection and support of fire art as opposed to the fire pits and brasiers at the event. I am awaiting further details from FAST fir specific details, and this will be included in the training materials
Sound Core
Sound Core will be working with Rangers to provide sound meters in order to help keep up with the volume regulation of sound camps and response to noise complaints.