by The Rat Lady » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:42 pm
Black Rock City Department of Mobility
Services provided Report for Burning Man 2011 “Rites of Passage”
We had 57 Requests for Services and information Pre-Event
17 of those requests were for Golf Carts for one or more persons use for the entire event.
8 were requests for a mobility scooter for a single persons use for the entire event.
We brought 5 used mobility scooters to be gifted out for 2 to 4 hours at a time:
Breakdown per unit:
Scooters
#1”Jack” : 16 trips to 6 individuals (scooter broke down on Saturday due to a broken speed control switch and was not used again)
#2”Jill“: 26 trips for 10 individuals
#3”Fortress“: 25 trips for 9 individuals
#4”Blender“: 4 wheel mobility scooter Permanently Gifted to a camp member with dilapidated equipment pre-event.
#5”Ash Tray“: 13 loans to 4 individuals
Total Mobility Scooter Loans 80 loans to 29 individuals = 160 to 240 hours of mobility.
One Mutated Electric Wheelchair:
“Fantasy Santa” 18 trips for 7 individuals
Golf Cart rides and gifting: (Able to be gifted for a longer period of time)
Cart #1“Golficus Carticus” Hand Controlled Golf Cart (Gifited for camp use by Mots from Black Rock City welding and repair):
27 loans for 35 individuals (including paraplegics and 1 high functioning Quadriplegic
Cart #2 “Twisted Wonder Bread” : used as a service vehicle for gifting rides and towing 2 vehicles: 18
Cart #3”Speeder Bill’s Patrol”18 people pre-event
35 during the week - some were over 3 hours long - one
was 5 hours - 75% were people who requested rides because of
disabilities , 25% for other issues( injury, intoxication etc.)- total was 53
Deep Playa Art tours:
“Hayride” 12 passenger Trailer towed by Golf Cart with wheelchair ramp
4 scheduled trips per day, Passengers off and on during tours
28 trips for 287 individuals (approximately 50% Disabled.)
Other uses:
Pick-ups from outlying Camps to Center Camp:
29 pick-ups for 22 individuals.
Rides for intoxicated individuals 7
Flat tire and Bar Crawl runs. 2 runs for 19 + 7 jump on, jump off’s
Pick-ups from outlying Camps to Center Camp:
29 pick-ups and drop- off’s for 22 individuals.
Charter Trips:
Requests for rides from an individual camp or Center Camp to a specific place or back to an individual camp or Center Camp. 14 trips for 12 individuals.
Manual Chairs Gifted
5 chairs gifted for the event to 5 “walking wounded.”
Crutches, Canes and walking accessories gifted
13 for 13 individuals
Other services for non camp equipment:
Charging services :
4 golf carts
14 wheelchairs and other mobility devices
Tow Ins
1 Golf Cart rescue…dead battery
1 Mobility scooter…dead Battery
1 “ Black Pussy Cat” Art Car.. Found abandoned and broken down at the Trash Fence…towed to DMV
So from Friday August 26th to Monday Morning, September 5th we served : 529 individuals, with 241 trips and tours, including 4 quadriplegics, 5 paraplegics, various walking wounded, 5 disabled burners with mobility equipment failures, and many burners with limited mobility or other impairment..
Permanently gifted one nearly new Mobility scooter to a quadriplegic.
Because of our placement in Center Camp, and our handicapped friendly camp set up, 5 Disabled Virgin Burners were able to attend the event. They said they had never thought it would be possible for them to attend Burning Man because of their mobility issues. Some had been waiting 15 years or more.
We also:
served 128 margaritas,
dispensed 100 books,
Stamped 387 temporary tattoos
Answered 187 requests for directions (“5 min. that away“)
Put air in 10 bicycle tires
Responded to 5 requests at our camp from people who said they were camped too far out to get to our camp location to ask for services.?
Assisted 5 people who brought their own mobility equipment and had issues with their equipment.
We will have at least two new golf carts for use next year.
Plans for expansion of our services will be regulated by the donations received and others coming forth with donations of mobility equipment and or services.
Plans are in the works with the powers that be to make The Man and Temple accessible to our guests and tours on a limited basis in 2012.
This year both the Man and the Temple were not accessible except at ground level.
One incident report as follows:
Incident Report BRC Department of Mobility
Burning Man 2011 "Rites of Passage
Date 09/05/2011 Time 12:30 am
Description of incident:
Dani L. Moore aka "Rat Lady" was on duty at the front desk area doing clean-up and security for mobility equipment, when there was a small fire.
Personal account:
I was cleaning off the BookCrossing and Tattoo Table in front of the Camp under the Left side corner of the shade structure (looking from camp out towards Center Camp Cafe). I was approached by a very intoxicated 20 to 25 year old white male, who was carrying a lit torch. He bent forward to look at the Rubber Stamps available for temporary tattoos. This caused the flaming wax from the torch to pour onto the stamps and the tablecloth setting them on fire.
I shoved the burning stamps off of the table unto the ground and grabbed a book to beat out the flames on the tablecloth. The young man helped stomp out the flaming stamps and apologized saying "I'm really sorry" and stated "That's the last time I make a torch with a road flare and wax!" then he staggered off across the Center Camp Road.
Upon Closer examination it appears the damage was limited to the tablecloth and the rubber stamps, but not the table itself. I folded up the tablecloth and finished clearing the table.
In the morning I spoke to Jim Stephen aka "Rat Patrol" who owned the stamps and the table and he did not request a report be made to any agency outside of the BRC Department of Mobility Camp. I reported to Wayne Merchant of the BRC Department of Mobility camp as well.
I certify that the above statements are correct and true.
Signed,
Dani L. Moore aka "Rat Lady"
Director of Triage, Disbursement of Mobility Services,Training and Public Relations
"Outside of a dog, books are man's best friends. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read!"
Groucho Marx