BURNING MAN 2004 AFTER ACTION REPORT
After Action Report (AAR)
Exercise BURNING MAN 2004
27 August - 8 September, 2004
Black Rock City, Nevada, USA
1. GENERAL
The general purpose of BURNING MAN 2004 was for the writer’s unit to deploy from its base in Victoria, BC, participate in this event with host nation (HN) personnel as part of “Camp Gothalot”, and to redeploy to Victoria.
2. MISSION
The unit’s mission was to participate in BURNING MAN 2004.
3. EXECUTION
a. Intent
BURNING MAN is “an experiment in temporary and intentional community” conducted annually in the Black Rock Desert north of Reno, NV. The Burning Man Organization (BMOrg) works year-round to facilitate and host this event and is responsible for the overall layout, infrastructure administration and security of Black Rock City (BRC). Approximately 36,000 personnel, mostly from the San Francisco region of the HN but also including personnel from Canada, the European Union, Australia and Japan, participated under minimal supervision and direction by BMOrg.
b. Concept of Operation
(1) General Description
This exercise was conducted in five phases:
(i) Pre-deployment Phase: 30 January - 26 August 2004
Preparation for the exercise.
(ii) Deployment Phase: 27 August - 29 August 2004
Unit deployed by ground vehicle to Black Rock City (BRC).
(iii) Employment Phase: 29 August - 6 September 2004
Colocation with HN personnel in “Camp Gothalot” at BRC for the duration of the exercise.
(iv) Redeployment Phase: 6 September - 9 September 2004
Unit redeployed by ground vehicle to Victoria, Canada.
(v) Recovery Phase: 8 September 2004 onwards
Post-exercise repairs, cleaning, maintenance and critiques.
(2) Training Focus
In the pre-deployment phase, the focus of training was on logistical preparations, shade structure construction and briefing the other unit member (who was attending the exercise for the first time) on conditions pertaining to the exercise.
(3) Training Summary
The unit was well prepared logistically for the exercise and proved to be almost completely self-sufficient. The design and construction of the shade structure was good, but its skeleton was not sturdy enough to stand up to the high winds and dust storms that were encountered mid-week. Both unit members required an initial period of approximately 48-72 hours duration for physical and psychological adjustment to the conditions and environment of the exercise.
c. Coordination
(1) Unit Participants
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Participants are described by their “playa names”, where applicable, their origin, and official function, if any:
Gothalot - Los Angeles, CA - Picture Editor for the Black Rock Gazette (BRG)
Citizen X - Victoria, Canada - Third Assistant Deputy Commissar, Antistatic Section, Ministry of Culture, Proun Republik. Deployed as head of special operations team “Pantzooka Patrol”
Sgt. Spike - Victoria, Canada - logistical and psychological support to camp members and Pantzooka Patrol
Mitch - New York, NY - Editor, BRG and supplier of pork products
Richard - Ashland, OR - external media relations officer for Media Mecca
Carry - Federal Way, WA - layout and production staff, BRG
Angie - Federal Way, WA - layout and production staff, BRG
Technomad - Rochester, NY - photographer and IT support, BRG
Pearl - San Francisco, CA - photographer, BRG
Dennis - Sacramento, CA - vehicle maintenance and logistical support
4. COMMANDER’S ASSESSMENT
a. General
This exercise was a successful one. However, because of the many changed circumstances much of its conduct and the lessons learned can not be compared to BURNING MAN 2003 conducted in the same area the previous year.
b. Significant Events
(1) Pre-deployment Phase Summary (Narrative)
Preparation began with the online purchase of tickets on January 30, 2004. Planning continued throughout spring and summer 2004, with final briefing of unit members, preparation of kit lists, purchases of equipment, and rental of vehicles in mid-August 2004. Final loading of kit in preparation for deployment took place on the evening of 26 August.
(2) Deployment Phase Summary (Narrative)
Unit deployed to BRC along the route
27 August: VICTORIA - PORT ANGELES, WA - SALEM, OR
28 August: SALEM, OR - EUGENE, OR - KLAMATH FALLS, OR - ALTURAS, CA
29 August: ALTURAS, CA - GERLACH, NV - BRC
The unit took the ferry sailing from VICTORIA to PORT ANGELES, WA at 0600 27 August. There were no complications at the border, just a cursory ID check. The unit ended the day in SALEM, OR. The following day the unit followed Interstate 5 to EUGENE, OR and then turned east to follow Route 58 through the Cascade Mountains and south on Route 97 to KLAMATH FALLS. This route took no longer than I-5 would have and was a far more pleasant and safe drive.
On arrival in ALTURAS, CA the unit ate at the Black Bear Diner, which serves enormous meals at prices no higher than those at other restaurants. On the morning of 29 August the sky outside the unit’s motel was filled with hot-air balloons, an annual event in this town. GERLACH, NV is approximately 2.5 hours’ drive from ALTURAS, through increasingly desert-like country. After a final top-up of POL at the town’s single gas station, the unit joined the procession of vehicles headed for the gate of BRC. By a fortunate coincidence, Camp member Gothalot himself greeted us at the gate and led us to the site of our camp inside Media Mecca.
(3) Employment Phase Summary (Narrative)
The writer’s unit joined with HN personnel to form the ad hoc organization “Camp Gothalot” for this period. Camp Gothalot, with 10 personnel on strength, formed part of “Media Mecca”. This organization was in turn co-located with 46 other units that made up “Centre Camp”. Centre Camp, though it housed many of BRC’s administrative, logistical security, and communications subunits, formed only a part of the city, which had a peak population of approximately 36,000.
[further narrative details will be posted later as time permits - meanwhile, do your best to figure these out]
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(4) Redeployment Phase Summary (Narrative)
Unit redeployed to Victoria along the route
6 September: BRC - GERLACH, NV - ALTURAS, CA - KLAMATH FALLS, OR
7 September: KLAMATH FALLS, OR - EUGENE, OR - VANCOUVER, WA
8 September: VANCOUVER, WA - OLYMPIA, WA - PORT ANGELES, WA - VICTORIA
Essentially, the unit retraced its route in reverse, though stopped at different points along the way. The Comfort Inn at VANCOUVER, WA is not recommended for human habitation. Not only was it difficult to get to, though it was in plain site from I-5, but the room stank far more than a smoking room in a cheap hotel should.
(5) Recovery Phase Summary (Narrative)
During this phase the unit rested, sorted and cleaned equipment, cleaned and returned the rental vehicle, and went to the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. Posting this AAR will mark the conclusion of this phase.
5. Principal Lessons Learned:
The choice of vehicle, routes and stopping points were generally good and should be adopted for BURNING MAN 2005.
The kit list should be adjusted in conformity with the comments in 8. Logistical Summary. Most items not used should be left behind, though others (e.g. cold and wet weather gear) should be taken regardless. The list will be reviewed in the pre-deployment phase for BURNING MAN 2005.
A larger tent should be procured, preferably one approximately 10-12’ in length and providing standing room in its centre. A tent this size will be easy to erect, will not become uncomfortably hot in the daytime, and will provide privacy and room to work, bathe or change clothing.
An less ambitious shade structure should be constructed, preferably using the side or end of the unit vehicle for support.
With these adjustments, the smaller amount of physical labour required of team members to set up the camp will allow them to concentrate on training and psychological operations.
6. Post-Mission Budget Summary:
Approximate cost of the trip to the unit was $2,300 Canadian funds, broken down roughly as follows:
$800 - rental vehicle
$500 - hotel/motel costs
$450 - event tickets
$300 - POL, ferries
$250 - food, water, miscellaneous equipment
7. Additional resources summary:
a. Ammunition
Seven underwear-loaded rounds of Pantzooka ammunition were prepared in the pre-deployment phase, as were six rounds of subcalibre sock-loaded ammunition. Four underwear-loaded rounds of Pantzooka ammunition were fired during the deployment phase at various targets, mostly for demonstration purposes. All were recovered.
b. Supplies
The great majority of food items and all drinking/washing water were obtained at HN retail outlets. One curious deficiency noted was that solder metal was difficult to locate at HN retail outlets, and when found was available only in small amounts at a high price.
c. Host Nation Constrictions
Procurement - Minimal difficulties encountered, aside from the wretched currency exchange rate. It was noted that while HN supermarkets can be extremely large, there is actually not as great a variety of foodstuffs - for example, at the second food-shopping stop we bought the single package of pita bread in the store, while there were ten varieties of tortillas and thirteen of canned chili on the shelves. Several blocks of ice were bought at Centre Camp to keep in the unit’s single cooler, at $2.00 per block.
Border crossing - In anticipation of enquiries from Customs, unit personnel removed the labels from cans of fruit cocktail and beans carried across the border into the HN, and the Pantzooka was stripped down to its component parts and the parts distributed among unit baggage. However, our vehicle was waved through after a cursory ID check.
Trade - BURNING MAN 2004 is a “money-free” event, in that a “gifting” economy is substituted. The only items for sale are cold drinks, hot coffee and ice at Centre Camp. Other items are theoretically given away free but are usually bartered for pieces of “swag”. Cast metal pieces made by unit personnel proved to be very popular for exchanges. Eat-More bars, as a candy bar that is not sold in the HN, proved to be less popular for some reason. Metal items that proved to be most popular for ‘swag’ were the “Eskimo Astronaut”, the “Neubauten Man”, the “Pointy-headed Alien”, and both versions of “the Burning Man”. The “Kilted Skeleton”, produced on demand for Gothalot, proved to be a challenging item to produce and only about twelve acceptable castings were made. These were mostly distributed among the staff of Spike’s Vampire Bar.
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8. Logistics Summary
See Attachment 3 for specific items carried, sorted by supply class number.
(i) CLASS I
(subsistence items)
Most foodstuffs and all water was obtained at HN outlets.
Water - The following amounts of water were carried for unit use:
• Drinking - 15 gallons, in six 2.5 gallon containers. Two containers were not opened and were left with Camp Gothalot personnel.
• Personal hygiene - 14 gallons, in two 7 gallon containers. One container was given to personnel of Spike’s Vampire Bar, which was sorely in need of water for cleaning and washing up. (You never saw a bunch of happier or more appreciative Goths.)
• Food preparation - included in drinking allotment above. The only water used in food preparation was about one quart boiled for cup noodles.
• Vehicle radiators - radiator did not require replenishment during the period of the exercise.
Food - As expected, appetites declined significantly in the employment phase and many meals were obtained from other HN personnel or camps who had brought too much food and needed to share. The choice of non-perishable and/or desert-hardy food items was quite suitable. One particularly good food item was cup noodles as a warming light meal. Lime and lemon juice were also very useful to mix with drinking water for palatability and to make it easier to drink sufficient amounts.
(ii) CLASS II
(clothing, individual equipment, tentage, hand tools, administrative and housekeeping supplies, chemical-defense and decontamination items, and wet- and cold-weather contingency items)
clothing - many items of clothing were not worn - next year fewer items will be carried.
individual equipment - as was the case last year, the Anaconda proved to be a useful, cheaper and more hygienic alternative to the Camelbak personal hydration system. One item that proved very useful was the camel-hair scarf, as protection both against dust and to wrap the head on the one very cold night we had. Day and night equipment was carried in the Swiss vest pack, which had two large side pockets for 1.5 liter water bottles and one large central pocket for extra clothing and equipment.
tentage - a major change in camp layout occurred when it was discovered that sleeping in the back of the vehicle was not feasible, and the 2-man tent became a sleeping area instead of a ‘closet’ and dressing area. It proved to be very snug, but too hot to stay in much after sunrise. The folding chairs and table proved very comfortable, and the air mattress was used as a place to lay down and rest inside the shade structure.
hand tools - a complete tool kit was carried and many, though not all, tools were used. Most useful were the linesman’s pliers, channel-lock pliers, sledgehammer, mallet, and hand drill.
administrative, housekeeping, hygiene supplies - All items were used or would have been potentially useful. Coffee-making material was not used due to the presence of automatic coffee-makers in camp. Many AA batteries were found to be nearly discharged on installation - that deal of a package of 50 for $9.99 at the Canadian Tire was, in retrospect, not a good one.
chemical-defense and decontamination items - Paper dust masks proved more pleasant to wear than the cotton ones, though light respirators with replaceable filters would have been a better choice as the exhaled breath does not fog up glasses or goggles. The pump sprayer proved to be a useful substitute for running water in camp, from rinsing bowls and cups to washing hands and cooling heads. Towards the end of the employment phase, leftover water was run through the pump sprayer for dust abatement in the area around camp and to clean the vehicle windows enough for driving.
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wet- and cold-weather contingency items - The night of 2 September was very cold and windy and rain gear was used to keep warm. There were two fairly cloudy days but rain was never a serious threat.
(iii) CLASS III
(POL, including petroleum fuels, lubricants, hydraulic and insulating oils, preservatives, liquids and gases, bulk chemical products, coolants, deicer and antifreeze compounds, components and additives of petroleum and chemical products, and coal.)
Vehicle POL was obtained from HN retail outlets en route. Propane was used mainly to power the blowtorch for melting metal, but was also used in the stove to prepare boiling water for cup noodles. The three bottles carried were more than enough and were left for the use of BRC Department of Public Works personnel on departure from BRC.
(iv) CLASS IV
(construction materials, including all fortification and barrier materials)
As noted above, the shade structure supports were too flimsy for it to retain its shape during the high winds and dust storms experienced 31 August - 2 September. An alternate means of providing shade will be developed in time for next year’s exercise.
(v) CLASS V
(all types of ammunition, including radiological and special weapons, bombs, explosives, mines, fuzes, detonators, pyrotechnics, missiles, rockets, propellants, and other associated items)
See ammunition expenditure report above. Almost all glowsticks carried were used, for personal illumination or to mark the unit tent. There was only one incident where the glowstick had already been exhausted in the package.
(vi) CLASS VI
(personal-demand items, such as candy, cigarettes, soap, and cameras (nonmilitary sales items))
candy - large amounts of candy and potato chips were eaten during all phases of the exercise. Especially popular items were Sugar Daddies, Sugar Babies, and Tim’s Cascade Style potato chips.
cigarettes - one unit member, after trying to subsist on Marlboros all week, quit smoking altogether on the night of departure from BRC.
cameras - one unit member used four disposable cameras of 27 shots each during the employment phase, while the other unit member used a cheap 35mm camera with six rolls of film of 24 exposures each.
miscellaneous- A Walkman personal stereo equipped with a radio and two small external speakers, as well as a case of cassette tapes, was carried but used only once, inside the vehicle during the deployment phase. Other leisure time supplies such as a deck of cards and a bag of books were not used at all, there being too much else to do.
(vii) CLASS VII
(major end items, such as launchers, tanks, mobile machine shops, vehicles, and organizational tool sets.)
A maroon Buick Rendezvous was rented from Avis for the duration of the exercise. The vehicle performed satisfactorily; there were no mechanical failures or maintenance incidents. It carried all equipment used for the exercise with room to spare. The unit member who did all the driving was initially unfamiliar with the automatic transmission, but soon learned to enjoy driving the vehicle. The numerous accessories proved to be a source of trouble, though, in that the vehicle’s battery died midweek due to electrical mechanisms (lights, air conditioning) being used without running the engine to recharge the battery. A jumpstart was obtained from camp personnel.
(viii) CLASS VIII
(medical material)
A small but comprehensive medical kit was created for the exercise but was not used except for several Band-Aids. Psychoactive materials were obtained for one unit member from HN personnel encountered during the exercise.
(ix) CLASS IX
(repair parts and components, including kits, assemblies, and subassemblies (repairable and unrepairable) that are required for maintenance support of all equipment)
Numerous small items of hardware and two rolls of duct tape were carried in the unit tool kit. The hardware items were not used but the duct tape was indispensable.
(x) CLASS X
(materials to support nonmilitary programs, such as agriculture and economic development)
casting kit and supplies - A complete casting kit, with molds, graphite, ladle, hand tools and metal (approximately 3 pounds of linotype metal and 1 pound of lead-free solder), was carried. Approximately 125 pieces of various types were cast in the pre-deployment phase. Two further casting sessions took place at camp, on 3 September and 5 September, and a total of about 75 more pieces were produced, using about 2 pounds of linotype metal.
art supplies and materials - eraser carving and stamping materials, index cards, and stationery items were carried but there was no opportunity to make up postcards and Artist Trading Cards as originally planned.
flags and banners - the Arnold Schwarzenegger Japanese Vitamin Drink banner was raised over the camp, and received interest from various HN personnel within and without the camp.
tin can fiddle parts - there was no opportunity to construct tin can fiddles for HN personnel.
BOMPTS (Bifurcated Oscillating Motor-driven Patrio-matic Tripod-based Structure) - A brief public demonstration of the BOMPTS in the pre-deployment phase was encouraging, but the high winds prevalent at BRC during the employment phase prevented deployment of this device.
9. Communications Summary
The Internet was used extensively during the pre-deployment phase, supplanted by the telephone in the final few days before deployment. Internet and telephone service were not available at BRC, so communications means used during the employment phase were synchronous voice contact, hand squeezes, and the occasional written note.
10. Medical Summary
There were no serious medical incidents. Both unit members suffered minor GI upsets due to over-enthusiastic consumption of food and drink (spicy beef jerky, canned Mexican food, cheap red wine, etc.). One member also sustained minor burns to both hands due to several incidents of handling hot metal items with insufficient insulation. There were no foot injuries or blisters as there were during the previous year’s exercise.
11. Civil Affairs Summary
There were no incidents with civilian personnel in the deployment or re-deployment phase, though unit personnel avoided mention that they were going to BURNING MAN 2004 and, for the most part, did not look as if they had been to this exercise.
12. Psychological Operations Summary
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The unit operation with the largest psychological effects was the “Pantzooka Patrol”. The mere appearance of this weapon on the streets of BRC was enough to provoke comments and questions from other participants
13. POC, this Headquarters, is ”ltmurnau”.
3 Attachments
Attachment 1. Threat Evaluation/Update
Numerous internal and external media reports before, during and after BURNING MAN 2004 centred on the nature of how the event has changed since the first exercise was held on a beach in San Francisco 19 years ago.
One theme was the supposedly “child-friendly” focus of this year’s event, in view of the fact that many participants who had come several times before now had small children and wanted to bring them to the event (apparently the average age of an exercise participant is between 25 and 35). Unit members did observe more children at the event than the previous year.
A perennial problem with this annual event is “newbies” (people who are attending for the first time), and “Yahoos” (young males who come to the exercise to drink beer and harass participants, especially females), and the trash they leave behind. Almost half of the 35,000 participants in 2004 were attending the exercise for the first time. A major feature of BURNING MAN is the “Leave No Trace” concept, one not embraced by many people judging from the large amounts of MOOP (Material Out Of Place) encountered by unit members.
This problem was intensified by incidents of large items of trash (whole melons, items of clothing, bottles) left in the portable toilets, which prevented them being cleaned properly by a civilian agency on contract with BMOrg. This was thought to be sabotage on the part of a small number of individuals who, for some reason, wanted to shut the entire exercise down.
The effect of these factors on the long-term viability of BURNING MAN is hard to gauge. Certainly no one can expect an event of this type and size, by its very nature, to be the way it was “back in the day”, when “the day” never really existed. The event may actually be becoming a victim of its own success, with 36,000 participants this year, and more coming every year, many participants feel the event is becoming too large, anonymous and hard to administer. One interesting suggestion the writer has seen is to ban external media from future exercises, which may limit the number of new attendees or Yahoos with little or no effect on the small amount of reasonably balanced coverage of the event that is printed.
Attachment 2. Host Nation Evaluation/Update
a. Political Situation and Internal Stability Summary
The HN will be holding a Presidential election in November, 2004. (This still appears to be the expectation of most personnel, despite persistent rumours that a terrorist incident, fabricated or otherwise, will cancel it and place the HN under a state of martial law). All personnel encountered during the exercise who voiced a political opinion were opposed to the current leader of the HN. Anti-government (or more accurately, anti-President) posters, wall displays, and films were seen frequently during the exercise.
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It should be noted that during the first four days of the exercise the Republican Party National Convention (i.e. the party of the incumbent President) was held in New York City. Many personnel who could have attended the exercise chose to protest at the Convention instead - one personal acquaintance of the writer actually did both, at considerable risk to his mental equilibrium.
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It should be noted that the annual BURNING MAN exercise is a magnet for individuals with left-wing and “no-wing” political tendencies, but the level of political knowledge and involvement of the participants is apparently much higher than most HN citizens. One highly visible exhibit at Centre Camp was a voter registration bus.
b. Civil-Military Relations Summary
While the annual event is sometimes described as a “Temporary Autonomous Zone”, elements of various HN official law enforcement agencies were frequently encountered, as well as elements of the “Black Rock Rangers”, the BMOrg’s volunteer peacekeeping organization. However, no altercations or arrests were observed, with the exception of one creepy old guy who sat next to the pole-dancing stage in Spike’s Vampire Bar and got belligerent when asked to leave by the bartenders after he started bothering the women. There was one reported incident where a long-time participant in and organizer of the event was assaulted, injured and had his bike stolen; the perpetrator, apparently from the Seattle community, has been found and pressured to come forward.
c. Pre-training Evaluation of HN Participants
The writer was surprised to learn that, again this year, he appeared to be the only one in camp who knew how to tie more than one kind of knot.
d. Post Training Evaluation of HN Participants
Little formal training was conducted by unit members. The writer spent the afternoon of 5 September casting and had a pleasant time teaching other camp personnel how to do it.
e. Host Nation Equipment
Against expectations, a large and sturdy shade structure had been built by BRC DPW personnel at the Camp Gothalot site. HN camp personnel also brought larger vehicles and tents or trailers, which provided comfort and a relatively dust-free environment. Four portable toilets were located very near by, though two were kept locked for the exclusive use of BRG staff.
Attachment 3. BURNING MAN 2004 Kit List
http://www.islandnet.com/~citizenx/files/bm2004eq.doc>kit list