What's the deal with the burn barrels.

shykat · Post by **shykat** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:17 pm

What's the deal with burn barrels?

Can I bring my own and burn at my camp?

What can I bun?

Are there spicific spot where the burn varies are located?

What are the " non no's"

What have u burned.?

Post by **Elderberry** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:53 pm

Somebody hasn't yet read the first timers guide, the FAQs, the resource guide and the survival guide, or that question would not have been asked.

http://www.burningman.com/themecamps/re ... guide.html

shykat · Post by **shykat** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:02 am

I'm sure I could of gone that route.

But I'm sure You can fill me in much quicker,fashion.

Tonite I've partaken in some fine wine of the box variety ,and I thought y'all would indulge me.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:19 am

What makes you think you'll be in your camp long enough to burn it down?

shykat · Post by **shykat** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:35 am

Not concerd with burning anytjung down.

I asked some spicific question.with (sp) mistakes , but you get it.
Just looking for some answers .

shykat · Post by **shykat** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:06 am

Jikisha., I value your input.
I would like the input of fellow !

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:48 am

might I suggest you read the "First timers guide"?

It's a good place to answer the really easy to find and most often asked questions.......

some seeing eye · Post by **some seeing eye** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:03 am

It would be unusual for a camp to have the space required by the rules. The main concern is wildfire spreading through camps, lucky it hasn't happened yet.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:21 am

/ing
Passed a camp with a burn barrel.. People were standing around it eating fruit and throwing thair garbage into the fire..

Some large camp apply for permittes to use a burn barrel.. I was told they are inspected on Thur.

Last year a drunk camp lit off a barrel with a big fire.. Wasn't five min and the rangers shut them down..

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:55 am

The burn barrel must be elevated from the ground so as not to burn scar the Playa. If you are a registered theme camp there is a section to check indicating you will have fire in your camp. You will need a 20' clearance around the burn barrel and water and/or a fire extinguisher close by. If the fire is left unattended, ESD will come by and take care of the for you. Then you can clean up the mess. You must clean and remove all the debris from your fire. If you are not a registered theme camp the odds are that someone from the Fire Art Safety Team will be contacting you anyway.

shykat · Post by **shykat** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:51 pm

Thanks

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:33 pm

Dude, if you show your SoCal card, you can burn anything, anytime, anywhere. Didn't you read the back of your ticket?

BBadger · Post by **BBadger** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:29 pm

shykat wrote:I'm sure I could of gone that route.

But I'm sure You can fill me in much quicker,fashion.

Tonite I've partaken in some fine wine of the box variety ,and I thought y'all would indulge me.

There are stupid questions: those that you should already know the answer to through research and/or paying attention. A stupid question insults the persons asked, because it implies that you did not have the forethought and respect to not waste their time with a question that should not have been asked.

In this case, the question is stupid because you should read the guides and be informed that way. There is also no benefit of the doubt because it is obvious now that you already knew these guides existed, and were in fact directed to them but refused to go through the effort to read them. What is also unfortunate is that, in the end, your laziness was rewarded by the people here. Hopefully, that behavior also changes.

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:35 pm

I'm sorry! My bad! It was a moment of weakness. I promise never to be nice again.
I have always believed there is no such thing as a stupid question, only a stupid answer.
While the question wasn't stupid, the original answer was more appropriate.
That being said, the First Timers guide does not mention that in camp burn fires and fire will be checked. That is something we started last year and will be continued this year.

Again, I promise not to be so nice next time.

Am I forgiven?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:05 am

DD.........you were just fine....nothing wrong with being nice........of course, nothing wrong with the snark, as well.

although, you may want to refer to AntiM's "first page rule".

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:28 am

Not so much as rule as a request. Please offer a factual or concrete answer first, then snark later. Eplaya has the reputation of being a snarkfest and a supreme waste of time. It should be a useful resource, and somewhat welcoming. Yes, we get tired of the same old answers, but it doesn't mean we have to be assholes to the newbies.

Answer then snark has little to do with being "nice" and everything to do with making eplaya a usable tool. Certain forums, such as Q&A, Introductions, Share Resources, all of ePlaya Feedback, and tickets (so-so) should see less "wit" and more information.

Of course, everyone is free to be a dick. I just will direct the Evil Look of Death at you. Yah?

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:34 am

AntiM wrote:Of course, everyone is free to be a dick.

Thanks for that , Moderator M.

Sic Pup · Post by **Sic Pup** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:59 am

AntiM wrote: Eplaya has the reputation of being a snarkfest and a supreme waste of time.

Really? Wow, I'm blown away. As a newbie last year, having commited and buying my ticket on 8/11, I shudder to think of what a disaster it would've been if I relied solely on the "official" documentation. Probably 100 useful things I garnered from ePlaya not the least of which were Monkey Hut, proper tent, what to eat without a stove, evap ponds, etc. to say nothing of all the little nuances that probably I would have been oblivious to otherwise (being as dense as I am).

Oh and none of it would be tolerable to me for very long without the snark, not everyone RTFM (well I don't usually, although I did for BM). I think it's a sensible guideline nothing Draconian or overly restrictive, particularly since your "suggestions" are usually well deserved slaps to the back of the head rather than a glove to the face.

Edit to add "how could I forget to mention finding a camp on ePlaya"?

MyDearFriend · Post by **MyDearFriend** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:00 am

AntiM wrote: Eplaya has the reputation of being a snarkfest and a supreme waste of time.

Whoa!

I don't know about that, geez, I frequent a lot of discussion boards and this one is by far the most open, friendly, and useful board I have ever seen. The snark (well-moderated here I must say) is just what is needed to put the discussion on a level that is interesting to experienced burners, which keeps this place from filling up with useless newbies like me.

So whoever is talking about eplaya in such unflattering terms is full of shit, really. Don't listen to them.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:11 am

Sad, but that is the true history of the board. Dig up the old years and have a look.

Eplaya is far more pleasant these days.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:24 am

I agree with M. We could be a little more welcoming.

But those who wander into eplaya without having read any literature and who give us an attitude about "I'm sure I could of gone that route. But I'm sure You can fill me in much quicker,fashion" is a person who will be a liability once we hit the desert. DD, please impress us with your radical self-reliance.

Post by **Elderberry** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:36 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:
But those who wander into eplaya without having read any literature and who give us an attitude about "I'm sure I could of gone that route. But I'm sure You can fill me in much quicker,fashion" is a person who will be a liability once we hit the desert.

Totally agree, especially regarding the reading of the basics like the first timers and survival guides. I still read them every year and still find things that are helpful that I might have read and forgotten about, or things that might not have been relevant to me in previous readings. So it's hard to have patience with new members here that don't seem to care enough to assume responsibility for learning the basics.

Now learning how to use and search on eplaya is a whole other topic.

Packoderm · Post by **Packoderm** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:36 am

Thank you shycat for starting this thread. I've read the official position, now I want to hear what others have to say about it. I've always like burn barrels made from the tubs of washing machines. Any other ideas for barrel designs?

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:27 am

30 gallon steel barrels, carved with a plasma cutter, on stands made from rebar... the 55 gallon ones are pretty big to move... however you can put a 30 gallon one inside a 55 gallon one to transport...

Don't cut your designs too far down the side, so you have an area to collect ash. And make sure you clean it out periodically... NO PLASTIC!!!! - and don't overload it.

Pair of old school air charged water fire extinguishers for suppression per barrel. 20' radius around the barrel. If you're really cool you'll have a burn blanket under it to keep any potential of playa scarring down to nil.

What else? Oh yeah.... if you haven't read the 1st timers guide yet, then you're not even close to the considerations for a burn barrel. If you think reading that is too much work, then I would seriously reconsider your vacation plans.

Not snark - there is shit in that book you NEED to know. Period. Else you may indeed truly die out there to death. And that would not be very fun. Especially for you!!!

Post by **Savannah** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:01 am

shykat, you can download the 2010 Survival Guide here:
http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... index.html

It's the minimum read for survival in the city. (Burn barrels are mentioned 4 or 5 times in it.) The 2011 guide will probably be posted before long.

You can also enter "burn barrels" into the search window of the main Burning Man site and get a page of info even more focused on just burn barrels.

. . . You got a bit of flak for not having read the Survival Guide because if you get to the event without having the bare minimum of information, you will cause problems out there for yourself (or others), especially with open flames.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:47 am

Bay Bridge Sue wrote:What else? Oh yeah.... if you haven't read the 1st timers guide yet, then you're not even close to the considerations for a burn barrel. If you think reading that is too much work, then I would seriously reconsider your vacation plans.

Not snark - there is shit in that book you NEED to know. Period. Else you may indeed truly die out there to death. And that would not be very fun. Especially for you!!!

+1

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 1:32 pm

/
I thought it would be nice to have a burn barrel to help others at BM.
Then I saw how many dumb asses there were..
After that I though they should ban the burn platforms..

One year I saw a camp that had a coffee can burner.. It was on a pole at the front of the camp.. There camp people were burning small paper items..
Seem like a good idea..

Trishntek · Post by **Trishntek** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:59 pm

It would be nice to have one, but as has been said already, most camps cannot afford that kind of space. Sounds like a PITA in general. We can always roast marshmellows on our propane stove.

As for Shykat,,, they have been quite generous in support of our camp's efforts and realize many of the principles. I won't piss in their cornflakes for a little indiscretion.

It seems to me a burn barrel would only be practical for a large camp where you are sure there is somebody around all the time. I would be really paranoid of embers going into so many flammable objects in BRC,,,,, BURSTING WITH POTENTIAL ya might say.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 5:22 pm

/

I have one of those expanded steel screened back yaed burners.
Sits in the shed.. Never had a fire in it.. About 15 bucks on sale..May eght years ago..

Trishntek · Post by **Trishntek** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 5:29 pm

unjonharley wrote:/

I have one of those expanded steel screened back yaed burners.
Sits in the shed.. Never had a fire in it.. About 15 bucks on sale..May eght years ago..

I've seen many of those at hardware stores lately and thought about how nice it would be to have one on the playa. But if you cannot have any furniture or wind break around it, WTF?