Below is the first letter back from Bman on theme camps.
I will try to forward them to camp mates via E-mail,
but will will also try to post them here as they come.
If you are not on the camp email list, send your address to
Email
(at) Contraptionists.Com.
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 14:33:07 -0700
Hi Campsters,
Are you ready yet? It is almost here! YEAH!
We are leaving for the playa pretty soon so make sure that you
ask
your individual placer your burning questions soon.
___________________________________________________
EARLY ARRIVALS
All registered theme camps are welcome to come to Black Rock City
as
early as Saturday, August 28th, at 12:01 AM. Registered theme
camps
have special permission to enter. Placement is up and running
and we
welcome your arrival! We encourage you all to get in and get set
up.
Remember, all Center Camp camps must be in by 6:00 PM on Sunday
the
29th, all Esplanade camps must be in by 6:00 on Monday the 30th
and
all other camps must be in by 6:00 PM on Tuesday the 31st.
Bringing a copy of this announcement and know the name of your
camp
when entering our gate.
____________________________________________________
FUEL AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS STORAGE
If you are planning on storing more than 20 liquid gallons of any
fuel (gasoline, kerosene, diesel, or propane) either in your camp
or
at your art project please remember to follow these common sense
guidelines:
For compressed and liquefied gasses such as CO2, oxygen, propane,
nitrogen etc.:
* All gas cylinders must be stored in an upright position and
secured
to prevent tipping.
For liquid fuels such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and white
gas:
* Any collection of 20 gallons or more of flammable liquid must
be
kept within a secondary containment area. This can be as simple
as a
petroleum resistant tarp rolled into a catch.
More safety reminders:
* Petroleum fires burn at the surface of the material as it is
vaporized by the fire's heat. Applying water causes the flaming
liquid to spread over a wider area and vaporize more rapidly,
thus
intensifying the fire. The best way to put out such a fire is to
cut
off its air. The smothering agents commonly used to do this for
petroleum fires are carbon dioxide (CO2) and dry chemical
powders.
Both are equally effective, but the dry chemical is better for
outdoor use because it's not subject to wind. For good
all-around
fire protection, use an ABC or ll-class extinguisher
____________________________________________________
GETTING WORK DONE (for camps with complaints or who missed
deadlines)
I need to remind everyone that Burning Man has very few paid
staff
members and we wear many hats to do a lot of work. Additionally
there is a hard core group a volunteers that are passionate
about
their roles with Burning Man but have full time jobs for 8 hours
a
day on top of what they give. There are no slackers here.
Receiving emails full of emotion, sometimes incoherent outrage,
like
a disappointed customer with an uncaring business is really
disappointing. Less emotional emails with more information that
could help to solve issues are more productive. Though none of us
are
perfect everyone here has the Burning Man spirit and is trying to
help, even when people act like jerks (most theme camps are
helpful
and understanding and we really appreciate that). When we have
problem cases we just make a big sigh, try to keep our
perspective,
attempt to pull the facts we need out of the information sent and
get
on with trying to make everything work out for everyone involved.
There is a lot to get done at this time of the year and
gratuitous
emotion is not helpful.
Some folks don't like the answer they get so they start to "shop
for
answers" or try and dodge our process. This is also counter
productive. Please do not go to any other departments or staff
members with issues involving your placement or theme camp needs.
It
will only cloud issues further and waste precious energy.
We try to but cannot always remind you of every deadline and
every
requirement. Early on we set the expectation that you must be
responsible for incoming information yourself and remind you that
after July 15th we may need you to be available to answer
questions,
etc. The average Burning Man participant is addicted to
information
and self reliance, so this expectation seems reasonable. Most
theme
camps seem to have no problem meeting these needs.
If you read the Afterburn Reports we started a few years ago
you
will begin to see that we really value honesty, admitting
mistakes
and trying to make things better in the future. You can hold us
to
this standard. We consider it a waste of time and energy to try
and
keep up the appearance of perfection. Please do not waste your
time
or ours trying to fabricate reason why you missed a deadline or
need
special accommodations. A smoke screen of indignation is easy to
see
through as well. We really appreciate it when people present
their
situations honestly, without emotion if possible. We will always
try
and solve the issue at hand. We want to help! We will bend our
processes to be of assistance when we can. However, we will not
sacrifice time and resources if we are not able to be
responsible to
the entire organization when doing so. If we need to make a
decision between spending time on early arrival issues coming in
after the deadline or nailing down vendor contracts for the
city's
porta-potties, we have no choice but to put our vendor contracts
first. We hope you understand.
____________________________________________________
Remember, it's just a week in the desert!
Harley
--
From: Harley K. Dubois
To: themecamps-announce@burningman.com
Subject: [themecamps-announce] TC ANNC. #10,'04/ Early Arrivals/
Storing Fuels
* Black Rock City Emergency Services must be notified of the
presence
of acetylene cylinders of any size.
* At least one fire extinguisher must be visible and available at
all
times when storing flammable gasses.
* Propane cylinders of 100 gallons or more are not permitted
within
the city limits.
* Oxygen cylinders must be kept at least 20 feet from any
flammable
gasses when not in use.
* A supply of cat litter should be kept in a basin on hand for
any spills.
* All containers must be labeled identifying contents and
hazards.
* A safety perimeter must be provided at least 30 feet from any
camping as well as a clear access for the Black Rock City
Emergency
Services in case of fire.
*At least one 18 pound A-B dry chemical fire extinguisher must be
kept visible and available at all times.
* Store fuel away from running generator.
* Do not fill the tank on a generator that is running.
* Keep all equipment used for petroleum storage and handling in
good
condition. Watch for leaks, deterioration or damage.
* If fuel is spilled on your clothing, go away from any ignition source, and allow the clothing to dry.
* When transferring fuel use a pump. Never use your mouth. A
mouth
full of gas or diesel could be fatal.
* Be aware of static electricity. This can build up on you and
or
the container. Any spark can ignite gasoline vapors. Use a
grounding strap.
Harley K. DuBois
Black Rock City LLC
Community Services and Playa Safety
415 865-3800, ext 103