title: Burning Man 2011: mass gathering medical care in an austere environment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Burning Man is a large weeklong outdoor arts festival held annually in the rugged and austere Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. The 2011 event presented several unusual challenges in terms of emergency medical services (EMS) and medical care provision.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper details the planning and subsequent emergency medical care for Burning Man 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective, observational review of the preparation, management, and medical care at Burning Man 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Attendance at Burning Man 2011 was 53,735. Of these attendees, 2,307 were treated in the field hospital. While most patients had minor injuries, 33 were subsequently transported to a hospital (28 by ambulance and five by helicopter). The most common conditions treated were soft-tissue injuries, dehydration, eye problems, and urinary tract infections. There was one death (subarachnoid hemorrhage) and one patient in cardiac arrest (thoracic aortic dissection) who was successfully resuscitated and transferred. Burning Man 2011 presented numerous challenges in provision of EMS and medical care because of attendance size, the austere environment, and significant distance (150 miles) to definitive medical care. EMS operations included six dedicated ambulances, three quick-response vehicles, two first-aid stations, and a physician-staffed field hospital. The hospital had limited diagnostic capabilities (e.g., x-ray, ultrasound, basic laboratory analysis) and a limited formulary. We found that the use of physicians was necessary because much of the care provided was beyond the scope of paramedics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We describe the preparation and medical care for a large outdoor mass-gathering event held in a remote and austere environment. We met the stated goals of providing needed medical care while minimizing the need to transport attendees offsite for additional care. Our experience with Burning Man 2011 may aid planners with similar events.
authors: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106, USA. bbledsoe@me.com
authors: Bryan
authors: B
authors: Bledsoe
authors: Pat
authors: P
authors: Songer
authors: Kelly
authors: K
authors: Buchanan
authors: Jeff
authors: J
authors: Westin
authors: Ryan
authors: R
authors: Hodnick
authors: Loren
authors: L
authors: Gorosh
mesh_terms: D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D003889:Desert Climate; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009505:Nevada; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000379:methods