Infrastructure
Refer to the map for locations of infrastructure at Firefly
Health and Safety
Ranger Station
You can always find a Ranger at the Ranger Station. There are also Rangers roaming the event. If you are lost, injured, or concerned about a safety issue (uncontrolled fire, medical concern, etc.), please speak to a Ranger. They are happy to talk with you, they know the lay of the land, have radios and can call emergency response people. Look for light green T-shirts and a “laminate” (namecard).
In an emergency, Rangers are the fastest way to get responders to your location. Rangers have radios and a plan in place to help outside emergency assistance find and access participants in need.
First Aid
- Can help you figure out if you might have an emergency that should be seen by the medics if you are uncertain.
- Can call the medics, provide first aid, and do CPR until medics arrive.
- Can connect you to supplies (bandages, over-the-counter medications, etc…) that you might have forgotten at home.
- First Aid is located in front of the Ranger Station at Mercurial and Verdant.
- You can also ask any volunteer with a walkie-talkie to call us.
Medics
- Can assist in an emergency (broken bone, fall from a high place, overdose, etc…)
- The medics are at Firefly, located behind the Ranger Station at Mercurial and Verdant.
- In an emergency, find any volunteer with a walkie-talkie, or find the emergency call box at Nexus (formerly Upper Parking).
- When you call, you will need to tell the medics the injury and the location (use nearby path names, theme camps, art installations, etc…). Keep it brief and simple.
- You will also need to wait for the medics at the location to guide them to the injured person. Use your flashlight to help them find you at night.
- Try not to leave a person having an emergency alone. Send for help if you can.
Professional Security
Firefly hires outside security staff who will be posted near the Gate. They are trained to defuse any potential physical situations that Firefly volunteers may not be comfortable handling and will only be coming into Firefly when needed. They will always be accompanied by specific event organizers.
Sanctuary
Sanctuary is a place for Firefly participants who need a quiet space to recharge. If you are feeling overwhelmed, having a hard time, or otherwise need a safe, quiet place with minimal interruptions, and a friendly soul to check in, please feel free to come to Sanctuary. Volunteer shifts are scheduled throughout the event but there may be times when nobody is present, but that doesn’t mean you can’t utilize the space! Sanctuary is not intended for overnight stays or lengthy recoveries. Participants experiencing a serious medical emergency should seek out our EMT service.
Hygiene
Porta-Potties
There are two locations, near Lower Parking and Nexus (formerly Upper Parking). Help maintain the porta-potties and replace toilet paper (more is available at the Ranger Station) and remove trash.
There are some old outhouses on the site which are NOT available for Firefly use and they will be marked and cordoned off.
If it didn’t come from your body, it doesn’t go into the porta-potties! The only exception is single ply toilet paper. No trash, napkins, tampons, or other items. These will clog up the poop-eating monster when it comes to clean, and you don’t want to see it angry.
You can pee in the woods but please not near the stream. Do NOT poop in the woods.
Steam Bath
The Steam Bath is a communal place where any Firefly can come and get clean. You are welcome and encouraged to enter the Steam Bath in the attire that makes you comfortable. Expect that Fireflies will be fully nude in and around the Steam Bath. This is not the result of an expectation, but a preference and choice made by each Firefly individually.
The Steam Bath has been built and maintained custom for Firefly. The bath house is cleaned and sanitized before the event. It is powered by a wood stove that heats the water and creates steam that is piped into the bath house.
The bath is most popular during the daylight hours, but you can still use it at night. If you'd like to have less people around when you bathe, try checking after dark. It is free to use for all, so there are no guarantees that it will be empty.
Before you head inside the Steam Bath, make sure you drink some water and are hydrated.
There is a makeshift table and cubby area next to the bath house to leave your towel, sandals, and other items.
To bathe there are buckets of refreshing (cold) well water outside the bath house. They are brought inside the bath house as needed. Before or after bathing it is customary to take a bucket to the well and fill it if the water is running low.
When walking up to and inside the bath house step slowly and carefully as the platforms will be wet. If there are no full water buckets in the bath house, bring one in, or ask a fellow Firefly to help since they can be heavy.
Inside there are usually some form of cups or bowls to scoop water out of the bucket. Let yourself warm up in the steam for a minute or two, and use a cup to pour water over yourself to bathe and also cool off. The sensation of the cold water can be jarring, but the heat of the steam inside the bath house quickly dissipates the feeling. Spend as much time as you'd like, but be aware of your body's signals and hydration level if you are feeling too warm.
Water and Ice
Well
Firefly participants have had a well professionally drilled. Bring a container and pump all the water you want–by hand. How to use the well.
Coffee Kitchen Cafe
This kitchen cafe offers brewed coffee, tea, hot water, and dish washing station for your use. You are responsible for trash and any mess you create in this area. (NOT SUPPLIED: cold water, hot beverage cups, or trash cans.)
Bring your own cups to hold hot beverages and leave no trace.
Ice Hole
Ice has been freely available the last couple of years when volunteers and donors made it happen. Stay tuned for info about Ice closer to this year’s event via Announce emails.
Services
Gnome Station
The Gnome (Volunteer) Station is where Gnomes help other participants help out at the event. They are the volunteers that help volunteers volunteer. They support the other Cores when shifts are not covered by finding a free participant or jumping in themselves. They also help find on-the-spot volunteers when non-scheduled help is needed. There will be binders of all volunteer shift sign-ups found here during the event.
DPW Grotto
See a bridge that is broken or a trail that has washed away? Find a Department of Public Works (DPW) volunteer for assistance. This is where they huddle when they aren’t building things.
Kiosks
There are usually Kiosks erected at the Nexus (formerly Upper Parking) and some up the hill that will have maps and event info posted. A final map of event Infrastructure, registered art and registered theme camps is posted on the web site about a week before the event.
Lost and Found
If you lost something, look for it at the Lost and Found. Its location should be on the event map. If you found something, drop it off at the Lost and Found.
If something is very valuable and you don’t want to leave it unattended, or if your very valuable thing isn’t in the Lost and Found, contact an Event Lead on duty or one of the LNT Core Leads.
Grounds
The Main Field, Bug and Temple
The Bug and Temple are located in the Main Field. The Main Field is a quiet space between midnight and 10am. As with all shared spaces at Firefly, please talk with your neighbors if they’re participating in noisy ways which detract from your experience.
The Bug is usually interactive and one of the main draws to the field. The Bug Burn begins with a Fire Conclave (fire performances) on Saturday at sunset, followed by celebratory ecstatic release of the Bug in a large fire.
The Temple is a place for reflection and remembrances. The Temple Burn happens on Sunday after sunset. Temple Burn is typically quiet and solemn, depending on the intentions of the Temple artists.
The Chrysalis in the field was built in 2021 to capture the metamorphic spirit of when Firefly couldn’t happen in person. The butterfly will emerge Friday.
The Open Stage
Put on a show! This is an open space for scheduled music and other kinds of performance. There will be a sign-up sheet available before the event. Go to the Open Stage page for more information regarding the stage and signing up for a performance slot.
Established Fire Pits
There are approximately 7 established fire pits at the event. Do not create new fire pits. All participants using the fire pits must follow the Fire Policy.
- Burn only wood found on the ground or purchased from Central Vermont. No plastic, cardboard, paper, cigarette butts, plywood, pressure-treated wood, or anything else.
- Do not cut down trees for wood. The landowner does not want his land cleared of trees.
- Fires need to be in a fire pit, surrounded by rocks and free of roots (root fires will put a damper on the event).
- Clear brush, leaves, and pine needles at least 5 feet away from the fire pit so sparks have nothing to jump to.
- Each fire pit must have at least 2 gallons of water and either a shovel or bucket of dirt handy at all times.
- If you see any unattended fire, please extinguish it or flag down a friendly Ranger to help.
- Portable fire pits are allowed as long as they follow the above rules and are elevated off the ground so as to avoid a burn scar.
- Tiki torches and other torch-style open fire devices are not allowed at the event.
Vermont is serious about its air quality and burning paper is against the law. These links have lists of what you can and cannot burn: