Mission Statement

Operating under the guiding principles of Integrity, Communication, Commitment, and Support, the mission of the Emergency Services Department is to provide Burning Man Participants and the Burning Man Project with an emergency response resource, ensuring the safety and well-being of the citizens of Black Rock City.

About Black Rock City Emergency Services Department

The Emergency Services Department (ESD) coordinates all professional emergency resources on the playa, 24 hours a day, including requests to outside agencies via a state-of-the-art emergency dispatch center. ESD responsibilities cover all responses in the field to reports of fire, medical, or mental health emergencies. ESD’s highly trained professionals volunteer long hours to ensure the safety and well-being of Black Rock City.

ESD provides four branches of service—Fire, Medical, Communications, and Crisis intervention—and employs the Incident Command System (ICS), providing a basis for smooth integration with cooperating agencies to maximize safety and security for participants, volunteers, and Emergency Services personnel. ESD’s Planning and Logistics sections provide the support needed to stand up a fully functional public safety system in Black Rock City.

Origins & History

The Emergency Services Department was formed in 1998  at a time when the event was much smaller. ESD began as a part of the Black Rock Rangers, with Blue Dot Rangers providing medical care, Green Dot Rangers providing mental health services, and finally Red Dot Rangers providing fire protection services. As the event grew, it became apparent that the missions of the Rangers and ESD were distinctly different. To allow a tighter focus on priorities, ESD became a sub-department of the Rangers.

By 2002, those working in a medical capacity with ESD changed their uniform shirt to visually distinguish themselves from Rangers providing non-medical support. The following year ESD officially separated from Rangers and was recognized as a distinct department within the organization.

Despite decades of operational independence, ESD and Rangers still work closely to provide a complex network of support services within Black Rock City. ESD is now one of the larger departments in the Burning Man Project, with around 650 professional emergency managers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, doctors, mental health providers, dispatchers, support staff volunteers dedicating their time to keep Black Rock City safe.

Pre-event and Post-event Operations

In 2002 the operational timeline for ESD was significantly expanded when the Black Rock City Department of Public Works (DPW) realized the value in having on-site occupational health and emergency resources to support its crew as they built the city. The ESD service timeline was expanded from the week before and after the event to approximately six weeks on either side of the event.

As playa operations ramp up, ESD resources grow to support the size of the Burning Man staff and volunteers working to build Black Rock City. ESD operates at full capacity in the ten days surrounding event week, with maximum staffing and oversight, a fully functional field hospital, Rampart, and robust fire, hazardous materials, and technical rescue teams. Once the event is over the process is the same but in reverse—until ESD only has two to three medical staff remaining to support the playa restoration team.