Black Rock Ranger Intercept

The Ranger Intercept team was established in 2004 for patrolling the inner playa with vehicles and bicycles and addressing issues with unapproved / unlicensed vehicles, golf carts, ATVs, scooters, motorcycles, go carts, and automobiles driving through the city and on the open playa, reckless driving and speeding by both licensed and unlicensed vehicles and vehicle-related injuries

Intercept has two specific tasks. Primarily, Inter¬cept addresses vehicle safety concerns within Black Rock City. Their other key mission is to convey how seriously burning Man takes vehicle safety to the various Law Enforcement Agencies who would otherwise take matters into their own hands. The most important point in understanding about Intercept is that if the Rangers don’t handle it someone else will. The Intercept program is framed in a manner to present itself as a safety plan to Law Enforcement Agencies in a format they can understand. The Intercept manual is not written as a list of rules and regulations, with specific consequences and response. Rangers must have a lot of leeway and discretion to address issues, without being constrained by protocol. Intercept works closely with Khaki, Dirt Rangers, other Ranger departments, and DMV to help keep our community safe.

Intercept removes or escorts vehicles from the playa and the city, either to long-term parking near the Gate or back to their camps. They have at their disposal a fully operational tow truck for moving vehicles to long-term parking. The Intercept team uses rotating amber lights on the vehicles to keep track of each other and to establish a visible presence as a deterrent to speeders or reckless drivers when a visible presence is required.

In addition to staff vehicles, the Intercept squad has bike-mobile Rangers. Bikes are used for tracking a vehicle discreetly without increasing a driver's tendency to speed due to the perception that they are being pursued and are an essential tools for tracking vehicles within the city streets. Intercept maintains a deep-playa Outpost Zero and is linked to the Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) Sometimes Rangers share logged instances of repeat vehicle offenders with DMV, or request information on numbered mutant vehicle license stickers. If participants are unaware of DMV rules and regulations, Rangers educate them and/or send them back to the DMV or back to camp if the DMV is closed. If vehicles / participants repeatedly violate DMV rules, the vehicle may be sent to Long-Term Parking outside the Gate.

Patrol Black Rock Rangers

It is important to note that the Black Rock Rangers are not law enforcement personnel. However, because Black Rock City stands at the intersection of several legal jurisdictions (represented on the playa by the Pershing County Sheriffs Department, the Washoe County Sheriffs Department, Bureau of Land Management Law enforcement, Nevada State Highway Patrol, and other Nevada state agencies), Black Rock Rangers are at times required to interface with law enforcement personnel when event permit obligations require. In addition to event rules such as the no vending policy, prescribed speed limits, and ban on firearms, Black Rock City is also subject to the same laws that govern public conduct in any Nevada city. Black Rock Rangers work cooperatively with law enforcement groups in dealing with criminal conduct such as theft, assault, domestic violence and child abuse. Every year Black Rock Rangers call on law enforcement to help with a very small number of evictions or to deal with violent behavior.

Rangers share logged instances of repeat vehicle offenders with DMV, or request information on numbered mutant vehicle license stickers. If participants are unaware of DMV rules and regulations, Rangers educate them and/or send them back to the DMV or back to camp if the DMV is closed. If vehicles / participants repeatedly violate DMV rules, the vehicle may be sent to Long-Term Parking outside the Gate.

All Rangers are empowered to prevent vehicles from endangering pedestrians, bicyclists and campsites and can establish radio contact with the Intercept Team if necessary. Rangers watch for vehicles operating unsafely in Black Rock City and attempt to Ranger the situation. They are encouraged to use their best judgment in determining whether a vehicle is posing a safety hazard. The guidelines for vehicles given to Rangers are:

Vehicles should travel at a safe (around 5 mph or less) speed; dust trails are a good indication of excessive speed

Vehicles should not operate during whiteouts

Vehicles should not operate on the esplanade or pedestrian walkways (except for law enforcement)

Vehicles should not be operated while under the influence or while stupid

Vehicles must be stickered

Rangers do not chase vehicles. They are instructed to radio other Rangers with the location and trajectory of the vehicle to see if anyone else is ahead of it, or just yell ahead to participants to get them to stop the vehicle.

Intercept is available to assist Rangers if needed for vehicles on the inner playa.

The protocol for advising a vehicle operating unsafely is:

Educate - simply advise operators on the guidelines for safe operation and explain that community safety is important

Escort - for repeat offenders or bad excuses, offer to escort a vehicle - to the DMV for a sticker, or back to camp for the night

Eject - repeat offenses or bad violations of guidelines can earn a vehicle a trip to “Long-Term Parking” outside the city gates, where it can safely stay for the rest of the event

VEHICLE Stickers

The Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) and the Artery
issue stickers to place on vehicles registered and permitted to operate
on the playa. There are several types of stickers that allow operation in
4 different conditions (the various stickers are on display at Ranger HQ and the DMV for reference):
Day - permitted to operate during daylight hours
Night - permitted to operate during night hours
Open playa only - no operation on the streets of the city
Flame effects - permitted to operate pyro effects!
Artist - permitted to drive to and from art installations
Stickers are permits for vehicles, not drivers.

Ranger training establishes the Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) as responsible for licensing Mutant Vehicles for driving at Black Rock City, and for communicating with and educating the Mutant Vehicle/Art Car communities, year-round, on issues that affect them.

Self Safety Inspection: The Department of Mutant Vehicle volunteers ask you to provide for safety in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of your mobile creation. Applicants are to consider community safety to be as important as the visual exhibition and to continually self asses and correct safety cautions such as:

• Sharp edges, trip or bump hazards, pinch points, fall protection, splinters, and protruding hazards.
• Open or unprotected pulleys, drive chain / belt, gears, shafts, motors, and assemblies in motion.
• Structural integrity of platforms, stairs, ladders, handrails, sub-frames, and overhead erections.
• Points of ignition and ignitable materials, fuels, passengers and carry on fandangos.
• Functioning Steering, brakes, and avoidance / navigation lighting.
• Vision restrictions, unusual size or irregular configuration requiring the assistance of walkers and guides during movement.

Movement of vehicles during Burning Man is limited and Mutant Vehicles operators have been given a privileged and select opportunity that relies on their understanding and agreement to continually consider community safety. We ask that you exhibit common sense safety precautions during your licensing review and practice them continually during the event.

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