Safety
and Survival
Black Rock City is a frontier town located in a very inhospitable environment.
Community resources are limited. We provide emergency medical treatment
and an evacuation service, but the nearest hospital is 100 miles away.
Multitudes of people travel long distances by car and by plane to experience
Burning Man, and this journey is not without risk. During the past ten
years, a very few participants have died in traffic accidents while making
their way to and from the Black Rock Desert. This has happened just outside
of our gate, and it has happened as far away as a thousand miles.
In 2001, there were three deaths associated with the event. The first
fatality was a DPW volunteer who died in a motor vehicle accident on the
highway a few days before the event. The second was a participant who
chose to run into a fire. The third involved a motor vehicle accident
on Highway 447 that occurred during Sunday night departure. The Nevada
Highway Patrol briefly closed the Black Rock City exit road during their
investigation. The loss of these lives is a tragedy and this community
mourns their passing.
In 2002, we plan to do more to educate participants about the hazards
of travel. A new feature of our annual Survival
Guide will provide participants with more information about how to
load vehicles and tow trailers. Our current survival guide discusses highway
safety in Black
Rock Country, but many of our participants are unaccustomed to cross-country
travel. Long driving times, narrow country highways, cows and wildlife
that stray onto these roadways, and high winds represent real survival
challenges. In 2002, we plan to use the Jack
Rabbit Speaks, our online Internet newsletter, to remind and educate
people about potential travel hazards.
In Black Rock City, we take reasonable steps to protect our citizens.
In addition to providing emergency medical services, we create standards
for burning, erect public burn platforms, and inspect our city for safety
hazards. At the same time, however, we encourage freedom and self-expression.
Our participants create Black Rock City and assume a fundamental risk
when they attend the event. The safety of our community therefore depends
on the awareness of each individual. 