Rangering 101

Some Rangers recommended a Better introduction.  Good idea.  Here you go!

This is an experiment.  Please make a note of how we can improve this program and let me know so it can be better next year.  There will be a survey at the end of this program.  Please fill it out.  Once you complete this online training you will be qualified to Ranger at the Love Burn 2019!! 

Thank you for being my Guinea Pigs.  :-)

If you have any questions, comments or difficulties, contact me directly:

Jellydoughnut@Burningman.org

Welcome to Ranger Camp:

Welcome Rangers and ESD! This year for the first time, the Rangers and ESD will have a dedicated camp. This will be a place for us to camp together, and socialize. It will also provide some basic infrastructure, which is particularly useful to those traveling from far away, of which we have many this year.

If I haven’t reached out to you already, Hi!  I’m Jellydoughnut. I will be your Ranger cruise director.  If you have any specific questions, please reach out to me directly at Jellydoughnut@Burningman.org.  If you haven’t signed up for your shift(s)  yet, please do so here!  

Tickets:

You will need a Ticket to enter the event, and you can purchase them here. Hurry up and do so - the sale ends on January 15th. There will be no ticket sales at the gate.  Volunteers with our departments have access to $185 tickets.  If you require help with this, contact me.

Ranger ESD Camp Dues: 

We want you to be part of our community!  We will have plenty to share but we require 4 things of you:

1. Please Paypal $75 to our      Camp.  https://paypal.me/pools/c/8bizA1tG1f

   
   

2. Please fill out this short      Google Form. https://goo.gl/forms/PYLaVYt3PcvKv7BF3

   
   

3. Please bring 1 bottle of your      favorite Liquor and 2 bottles of your favorite mixer.

   
   

4. Please sign up for one of our      Camp Volunteer Teams (on the form).

   
   

Camp Placement / Available Space:

For those of you who have visited last year, our camp will be located behind the main Ranger HQ. We have a limited amount of space, but we will design a placement map to accommodate all of you.  HOWEVER, I need to know how much space you need.  I have another short form for that as well as dietary needs.  PLEASE COMPLETE ASAP. 

The camp will have the following:

1. A shade / rain structure.

2. A community area for off-duty      socializing.

3. A stocked bar with your      favorite libations.

4. Cold Drinks.

5. Water.

6. Coffee… lots of coffee.

7. Music.

8. A Meal Plan       (Vegetarian/Vegan Options available.

9. A Movie Theater (What?!?!).

10. A Popcorn Machine.

11. Amazing people from around the country to meet and build our community with.

    
    

Food:

We are planning the following menu:

            Thursday         Dinner             Chili     (beef and veggi options)

            Friday              Brekkie            Eggs/Bacon (or Tofu Scramble)

            Friday              Dinner             Chicken Fajitas  (or Veggie Fajitas w/ tofu & corn tortillas)

            Saturday          Brekkie            French Toast (or Oatmeal)

            Saturday          Dinner             Steak & Potatoes Salad (or Grilled Tempeh)

            Sunday            Brekkie            Steak & Eggs (or Tofu Scramble)

            Sunday            Dinner             Burgers (or Veggie/Vegan Burgers)

            Monday           Brekkie            Pancakes (or Oatmeal)

 In between meals there will be a self-serve sandwich bar with fruits, veggies, nuts, hummus, granola bars etc.  You will not go hungry!  You will not have to cook every meal for yourself… more time for volunteering/burning. ?  If you have other dietary needs/requests, let us know on the form!

Booze:

The bar will be stocked by you and I will use some of our dues to fill it out so we have a complete offering.  Please be responsible to protect our social capital and not drink in uniform or show up to your shift smelling like tequila.

Activites:

Meals, Merriment, Music, Movies, Popped Corn, Happy Hours, and a dedicated time at Dr. Bronners foam facilities!

Vehicles:

Vehicles that are not licensed as campers are not permitted to be parked within the event space without prior approval. There is a parking lot nearby where your vehicles can be parked. While it will be possible to drive your vehicle into the event site for the purpose of loading and unloading, we want to limit that traffic; so if your plans allow it please consider bringing a cart or wheelbarrow to walk your gear in from parking. Ranger Camp is on the side of the event close to parking, about ⅓ mile away.

Directions by Car:

If you are driving to the event, https://theloveburn.com/directions/

Directions from the Airport:

The MIA airport is located about 15 minutes away from the event site, and you can take a taxi, Uber or Lyft to get to the event. You don’t need to rent a car just to park it for days. This year we have a new Gate that will likely have shorter lines.  Tell your Uber/Lyft that you want to go here:

1900 Arthur Lamb Jr. Road, Miami, FL 33149

Local Supplies:

If you need to pick anything up in between the airport and the event site, or locally, here are a few locations that are on your way or close.  

Grocery Store                        Hardware Store                      Cuban Rest Near Airport

Publix                                      Shell Lumber                           Versailles

134 SW 13th Street               2733 SW 27th Ave                  3555 SW 8th Street

Miami, FL 33130                    Miami, FL 33133                     Miami, FL  33135

Leaving the Event Site:

Leaving the event site is permitted but discouraged. Please try to bring everything you will need when you arrive, but should you forget something, going into town to pick it up is possible. Ask around with your fellow Rangers before you do so, maybe other people need stuff too and you can team up to do it in a single trip.

Mobile Communications / Electricity:

The event site is only a few miles from downtown Miami Florida. Your mobile devices should have a signal. Electricity is present onsite in a limited capacity and mostly focused on direct event support. We will have a small mobile charging station for Rangers to share, but consider bringing a USB battery to minimize your needs, as plugs are limited.

Food & Drink:

We will have a camp kitchen this year for people who contribute to the camp fees. This will include 2 hot meals a day (breakfast & dinner), as well as sandwiches snacks and beverages available at all hours. Food will be available on Thursday afternoon thru Monday morning. We will try to offer a range of foods for a range of diets, but if you have any special needs, or severe allergies, please let us know.

We will also have a bar stocked with libations and monitored by a friendly barkeep. Bar hours TBD.

Bring your own eating utensils, plates / dishes, silverware and a cup. We will have dishwashing facilities available for our camp’s use, so please plans to tend to your things / dispose of any one use items.  Your mom is not camping here.

Water:

The camp will have a few five gallon water containers which will be periodically refilled by helpful volunteers from camp like yourselves. There is also a nearby spigot which dispenses potable water, so if you wanted to bring a collapsible water container for your own supply, that is also an option.

Refrigeration:

The camp kitchen will have several large coolers, but no capacity to store anything other than kitchen supplies. If you need to refrigerate something, please bring your own cooler to do so. Ice is available for purchase onsite.

Bathroom Facilities:

Camp is located close to one of the banks of flushable toilets that are on site, which is nice. Some areas of the site are also augmented by porta potties. While the event organizers are assuring us that there will be plenty of toilet paper… bring your own single ply toilet paper and whatever sanitation supplies you want to keep you clean.

Gray Water:

The event does not have gray water disposal capabilities, and like all Burning Man events, this is a leave no trace event. Make a plan for how to dispose of your gray water, and one of the ways to make that easier is to make as little gray water as possible.

Trash:

This is a sanctioned Burningman event.  As such, we are Leave No Trace… so if you packed it in, pack it back out. Consider double or triple bagging your trash if you have to transport it far.  The kitchen will have a camp trash for the cooks making you yummy food… it is not a community garbage bag. 

Weather / Environment:

Check the forecast before you travel, but in general weather will be in the 60s-70s during the day, nights down into the 60s-50s. It may be cloudy and it may rain. It also can be sunny, you will want sunblock. While they generally haven’t been a problem in the past, mosquitos and other biting insects may be present. The event site is in a coastal location, and you can expect consistent and possibly heavy winds. The soil is sandy and regular tent stakes may not be adequate to secure your structure. Considering bringing longer stakes, ground screws or lag bolts.

Entertainment:

We will have a movie screen and projector, but we haven’t yet decided what it will be used for. If you have a film you think fits the theme, that people would like, or otherwise would like to bring, feel free to bring it and we may be able to play it. If everybody brings one or two options, we should be able to figure out an entertainment plan. We hope to be able to play both DVD and Blueray formats. Label your media with your name so it doesn’t get misplaced.

The Ocean:

The ocean is beautiful, but technically is outside the event site. No swimming in the ocean, wading only (we do not have lifeguards). Tropical ocean creatures may be present, such as jellyfish and other things that can make you say ouch. Use your caution and discretion.  

Any Other Questions?
This is a dynamic document - send us your questions, and we’ll update the doc for everybody as they come in.

Who are the Rangers? Rangers are participants in their regional Burning Man community, and in some cases more than one community.   

How does one become a Ranger? Rangers attend training, wear visual RANGER designation and while rangering agree that “It is not about the Ranger, it’s about the participant.”

What is the focus of any Ranger Organization? Rangers are primarily concerned with life safety issues, maintaining the community’s standards, and resolving conflicts.

With whom do Rangers interact? Rangers spend mostly interacting with participants, but also act as a liaison between the community, event organizers and external agencies.

What is the Ranger’s first response to a non-emergency situation? The default action of a Ranger is to do nothing.

What is a primary Ranger skill? A Ranger’s greatest skills are being a generous listener and having situational awareness.

What is a positive outcome of a Ranger interaction? Rangers help participants solve their own problems using non-confrontational mediation.

How do Rangers uniformly deal with situations throughout “Burn” communities? Rangers F.L.A.M.E. situations: Find Out, Listen, Analyze, Mediate (or move along), and Explain.

What do Rangers not do? Rangers are neither cops, enforcers, nor security guards; they are participants who have agreed to help as participants in the community.

What do Rangers do? Rangers rise out of the dust/forest/shadows/crowd when needed and recede when things can be left to ride the edge of chaos on their own