Element 11

This weekend we headed out to Element 11 in the west desert for their Regional Burn. Element 11 is a Regional of Burning man.  They are on private property in the west desert and because of the type of 'event' that it is they need to have an ambulance on scene 24/7. Also with all their burning they do we are sent out there for fire control. We spent the whole weekend working. 

Element 11 is different. I wasnt sure what to expect when I got there because I had heard so many things about it. They are very free people and its interesting. They 'live' and follow these 10 principals

Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey wrote the Ten Principles in 2004 as guidelines for the newly-formed Regional Network. They were crafted not as a dictate of how people should be and act, but as a reflection of the community’s ethos and culture as it had organically developed since the event’s inception.

Radical Inclusion

Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.

Gifting

Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

Decommodification

In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorship's, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

Radical Self-reliance

Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

Radical Self-expression

Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Communal Effort

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Civic Responsibility

We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

Leaving No Trace

Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

Participation

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

Immediacy

Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human power.

Their get together is based off of these beliefs. They are in big open dirt camp basically thats divided into streets.  They have a council that runs everything. They oversee what camps are where. The 'sound' camps are the ones who are allowed to have speakers and over music.  They put them at the far end of the camp. Certain 'tribes' have special responsibilities. Its very organized.  They also have Rangers aka security. They make sure everything is running smooth and handle any internal problems. If someone causes a problem they get kicked out of the event and cant come back. If its bad enough the kick them out of the group.  

There also is medical staff (from them) that has a med tent set up. It had basic stuff and they can treat things for them. They also have a section called Sanctuary where if someone is coming off drugs and needs to be watched or cant control themselves they go there. Its got someone to keep an eye on them, couches and pillows etc. The last official place is the mess hall where they feed the volunteers at. They have food and drinks there for those working.

This years event had aprox 2,000 people there. 2000 participants. The event started on Wednesday. Most the people showed up on Friday. I worked Friday til 2 and then headed straight out there. I was running fire shift with Todd and a 16 hour ambulance shift as well. 

When I first got there we ate dinner at our camp (which is up the hill from them) then we headed down into the event. I was kind of nervous about how it would be. I knew being naked or half dressed was totally normal. Also so were crazy crazy outfits. I ended up talking to one girl and she said the whole idea with the outfits were either they were going with the theme of the get together, this one was Jackalope Rodeo, or they dressed either how they wanted or the crazier they dressed the more it made someone else feel less self conscious and good about themselves. I do have to say I didn't feel self conscious there once!

We got to the even and through the greeters tent where we were met by men in dresses and a woman with pasties on.. and headed out into the crowd. 

It really wasnt bad!!!

They are HUGE on giving. They had been giving the fire people things all weekend so we went through the roads throwing out frisbees, color changing stress balls and water bottles. Also sprayed everyone down with the mist off the pump. Dad Tiff and Trish did that. I walked around with Todd. I needed to stretch my legs!

The crowds LOVED it

Spraying them down

Todd had been there last year so she showed me the ropes. We went down to the burning area.

They build ethigies and burn them. Friday night they burned two and Saturday night they burned two.

This was the first one to burn Friday night. They give art grants to people who apply for them to build these statues. They were very intricate and cool!

This was the temple and the final burn for Sat night. It took this lady forever to build and they put it together like puzzle pieces. 

They write messages on the walls and then burn them.

All those strings inside had rope lights inside

The second burn Friday night

The Jackalope. Saturday nights first burn. Its supposed to represent fun and letting go. Burning the temple represents letting the good back in and moving on.

Of course our selfie!

It was SO dusty. Like powdered moon dust. The wind was blowing hard too. We were covered in dust in seconds. So many people were wearing bandannas and scarfs and goggles. It looked like something out of the movie Mad Max

Each tribe has a theme and area they set up for gifting. No money is allowed and you cant buy things. Its all gifting with no expectation of return.

I loved this sculpture and it looked so neat lit up at night

The medical area

and Sanctuary

The view of the event from our camp

and our camp

We headed down Friday night again for the burn. We had a BLM crew in assisting with us that were staged out west and a crew from Grand Canyon Colorado who were also stationed out west for the summer. The main photographer for the event asked if he could take some pictures of us.. of course! Plus two people wanted their picture taken with the fire depts.

I know it sounds crazy but these people there were the absolute nicest kindest most giving people I have ever met. I was in complete shock. All day every day they told us thank you. Thank you for taking care of them. Thank you for making sure they were safe. Thank you for our service. Thank you for being there. They waved to us every time we passed. It was like we were in a parade constantly. They came around with coolers of drinks and fruit asking if we needed anything or told us to stop by their tents for the 'gifts' they were giving out. Anything from necklaces to pins to bandannas to cups or neck wraps. It was amazing. I have never felt so appreciated and accepted in my life than we did out there. 

It was a very diverse crowd. You had crazy stoned people, old hippies, steam punk themed people, people in fox tails and ears, surgeons, doctors, very affluent people, very LDS people in their garments not drinking or doing drugs, firefighters (as participants) law enforcement (as participants), paramedics (as participants). Just about everyone you could imagine! Familys, gay couples, single people. It was just a mix of everyone. 

Preparing for the 2 burns of the night.

So if you look closely you can see a rope of lights around the burn. That is the circle you are NOT allowed inside of. They have rangers in tan shirts stationed all around the outside of the circle. Then what they call 'dirt nappers' between the rangers and the fire. The dirt nappers job is if someone breaches the circle past the rangers they plant them straight in the dirt and stop them from getting to the fire. Once the fire is small enough they take down the circle and allow you into the first level of Rangers. Then once its completely down the area around opens up. Each fire is started by a fireman (with Element 11) in full turnouts and he takes care of the burns and then he has an assistant in wildland clothes helping him. They keep the fire in the circle. 

While this is occurring we are on the far outer south side.  Catching the ash thats dropping and making sure its not causing fires in the dry brush.

Us putting out pieces of ash 

Trica and I. She was gifted the skirt by one of the people there.

This is a frog car. It is full of speakers and seats. It drives around playing music and carrying people kind of like a bus up and down the streets.

This is another speaker lounge

And the Jelly fish

The Jackalope all lit up at night with flames at the top

It seriously reminded me of a carnival or county fair at night with all the lights everywhere. They are encouraged to be covered in lights for their own safety and for creativity. 

Remnants of the first burn

This art piece was built out of propane tanks. Water dripped down into a metal bucket. When the bucket got full the line opened up to the propane and shot a fireball into the air.

Getting ready for the second burn of Friday night.

Most the people there ride bicycles. They had these tricycles all decked out as a bee and animal. 

The second burn Friday night at 11:11

Fire baton spinners

Wild crowd of the night. Me, Todd, Trica and Tiffany

We had one fire we had to put out that night. Someone right on the edge of a big open dry field had a very large burn barrel going. I thought for sure it was going to be a brawl. Their rangers went over and told them it had to be put out and then we went over with the fire truck to water it down. You have a large group of people under the influence of many things and you just ruined their party by putting out their bonfire. THEY THANKED ME!!!!!! I was so shocked. They actually THANKED me for keeping them safe and putting out their fire because they didnt know better and didnt want to start a big fire. I was completely speechless.

When you turn off the main road to camp

The map of the camps

They had playground equipment, trampolines, lounges all kinds of stuff. I sent this to Chris and told him I was playing on it (I really wasnt but you know how I hurt my knee and all haha)

Then I started my first 8 hour ambulance shift at Noon. I had just gotten back from Park Valley at 1130. Hurried and had breakfast and ran down to my shift. About 10 minutes into my shift we had a patient we needed to transport out. We have to have an ambulance on scene or in the area so we did the basics and transported to Park Valley station and met their ambulance (about 35-40 min away) and gave them the patient and they transported to Bear River hospital. I had a girl Valynn from Park Valley working the ambulance shift with me and Todd was our driver.  

We just got back from that transport about 10 minutes when a pretty serious injury came in. We started transport out of there but quickly decided it would probably be best to have a bird meet us at Park Valley station. We didnt really want to bring a helicopter into that huge crowd.. plus we were having some issues on scene. We decided it was best to start that way and cut some time off the helicopters travel time. Their eta to Park Valley station was 40 minutes and we were about the same distance from where we were to the station. So if they would have had to fly that extra it would have been even longer. Plus our patient started deteriorating once we were gone about 10 minute from scene. Deputies and Snowville ambulance met us across the street from Park Valleys station and set up an Landing Zone. Park Valley was just getting back from the last call we sent them on. Once we arrived the birds eta was only 6 minutes. We put the patient in Snowvilles ambulance in case the bird decided the patient was ok to go by ground (its an hour and 10 minute transport from there to the hospital where they would then just send her from Tremonton to Ogden because of the severity of her injuries) and only 40 minutes by helicopter to get her to Ogden and she has paramedics on the flight crew. 

Dad came on this transport with us too and Todd drove.

They had just swept the roads and were working on them so there was dirt everywhere. This is the worst rotor wash I have ever seen!!!

Life flight assessed the patient and concurred with our conclusion that she needed to be flown.

We got back just in time for me to finish my first 8 hour ambulance shift and start my second.. where I started off with another good medical but we didnt transport. They went to Sanctuary for a while. They may have been calling me the Shit Magnet. It just happens to me. The whole time last year they only transported one person. This time I transported 2 in under 4 hours... which is the record for the weekend by the way. NO ONE ELSE transported at all. 

We made it just in time for dinner. Dad was the camp cook so we ate good!

Valynn and I with our bus

Me and my Jackalope Rodeo cup they gifted me

The city is pretty quiet during the day but as it starts to get darker it comes alive!

They had an hour long fire dance routine which was awesome!

The burning of the Jackalope which is more of a wild party burn. It started at 11:11

It made some serious smoke and put a huge amount of very hot ash into the air. We were very busy but nothing caught on fire! We got all the little ash out. We were very very lucky

I was driving through camp headed back to the med tent when this guy walked out in front of me. I was driving the Box Elder Fire Ranger and doing like 2 mph. He stopped me to tell me thank you for watching out for his safety and being conscientious enough to not run him over. He appreciated me taking care of him. Once again I was speech less!

The temple burn is the most sacred one of all. No music is allowed during it. Everyone sits outside of the rope cirlce and is silent.. except I was on ambulance patrol and I was the first outsider to be allowed IN THE CIRCLE. It was pretty cool. Everyone was dead silent and very reverent. They were pretty loud during the other burns but not this one. Several people were crying softly. They did this burn at 3am

My ambulance and fire shift was done at 4am Sunday morning. I had been up since 0800 Saturday morning. We finished packing up everything, hooked up the trailers we needed to and Dad, Todd and I headed home. Dad drove his truck and camper, Todd drove dads fire truck with the Ranger trailer and I drove Todds pickup. It was a very very long 3 hour drive home. Chris was on call for the county as Fire Warden for the weekend so he stayed busy and wasnt able to come out. My mom offered to take Kennedy for the weekend. So on the way home we passed a hay barn fire in Snowville Chris had been running since Midnight. 

We somehow made it home with out crashing and I got to bed at 8am. Chris made it home at 2pm from his fire. We pretty much spent the whole day in pajamas and trying to recover from the weekend!