Royal Ambulance took on a unique challenge this summer— building and operating a medical center called Rampart on the Playa. Facing the harsh conditions of the Nevada desert, we had to rely on teamwork, resilience, and adaptability to make it happen. Steve Grau, our CEO, sat down with us to reflect on the lessons we learned and how the experience shaped our leadership and team culture.
What was the most surprising lesson we learned while building and operating a medical center in such a unique environment (The Playa)?
Steve shared, “The most surprising part for me was just how much more grit, stamina, and creativity we had as a team than I could have anticipated. We knew going in that this was going to be complex, and there were people who doubted whether we could pull it off!”
“But what really stood out wasn’t just that we succeeded—it was how driven everyone was. Leaders, EMTs, and everyone on the ground felt the mission and pushed each other to achieve it. It wasn’t just that we said we had a strong team, we lived it. Each person motivated the next, and that’s what made the impossible possible.”
“Like Hasieb, the president of the whole company—there he was, in the middle of a dust storm, goggles on, drilling tables late at night. That was the grit that defined the project. When you see your teammate working like that, you can’t help but step up, too. That sense of shared purpose was what carried us through.”
Our leadership at Royal Ambulance is known for being hands-on. How does this “all in together” mentality shape who we are as an organization?
“That mentality comes from the fact that so many of us started as EMTs,” Steve explained. “We know what it’s like to do the hard work—whether manual labor or dealing with difficult conditions. We’ve never thought of ourselves as above it, and that’s something that’s always been ingrained in Royal’s culture.”
No one at Royal ever thinks, ‘That’s not my job.’ We believe if we wouldn’t do the job ourselves, we wouldn’t ask someone else to. It’s a mentality of getting the work done together.”
“You can see that in the way we set up Rampart. Our leadership didn’t stand back and delegate—they were there, hands-on, working side by side with the team. That’s what builds trust and keeps that spirit of collaboration alive. We all knew we were in this together, and that made all the difference.”
Burning Man has such a strong community culture. How did that shape our approach to the project, and what can other organizations learn from our experience?
“Community is at the core of both Burning Man and Royal Ambulance,” Steve pointed out. “We’ve always believed in taking care of our people, not just the people we serve, but our own team. Sometimes, in healthcare and other industries, we can get caught up in metrics and forget that it’s the people who make it all happen.”
“At Burning Man, we made sure our team had what they needed—good food, proper shelter, time to rest. We created an environment where they felt cared for, and that showed in the way they performed. I think that’s something any organization can learn: if you take care of your people, they’ll take care of everything else.”
Adaptability and resilience were key to getting through Burning Man. How did we demonstrate these qualities, and what leadership lessons did we take away from the experience?
“Adaptability has always been a core value for us at Royal, especially in EMS, where no two situations are the same. But Burning Man pushed us to adapt in ways we hadn’t expected. We dealt with everything from dust storms to extreme heat and equipment breakdowns.”
“There was a moment when one of our team members rewired a light using a staple. It might sound small, but it was the kind of ingenuity that got us through. It’s those quick, on-the-spot solutions that kept everything running.”
“For me, the biggest leadership lesson was trust. You can’t “command and control” in an environment like that. The team needed the space to figure things out, and they did. As a leader, my role was to support them, give them the tools they needed, and trust they’d find a way forward. And they did, time and again.”
How did collaborating with the Burning Man community and volunteers impact our understanding of teamwork and partnership?
“One thing that stood out to me was the behind-the-scenes community that keeps Burning Man running. Most people don’t see it, but there’s this whole infrastructure of volunteers—electricians, safety teams, trash (MOOP, matter out of place) departments—who make the event possible. We became a part of that, and it was humbling.”
“We didn’t come in thinking we had all the answers. We were upfront about it being our first time doing something like this, and the Burning Man community welcomed us and helped us along the way. That willingness to be humble and learn was key to our success.”
“After the work was done each day, there was still this incredible sense of community. We all came together—sometimes just to share a moment, like heading out to explore the Playa after a long day.
That group photo of us, dressed up and ready to go out, really captures the camaraderie. Those moments of connection were just as important as the work itself.”
If you could go back and give us one piece of advice before starting this project, what would it be?
“Honestly, we learned so much from the things that didn’t go exactly as planned. If I knew
everything in advance, maybe we would’ve done things differently, but we grew by figuring things out as we went.”
“Some of our leaders were taking on the work of multiple people, and having more hands on deck could have made things run more smoothly. At the same time, it was how everyone stepped up that made the experience so powerful. Of course, a few more MacGyvers and extra time to plan wouldn’t have hurt either.”
What advice would you give to leaders considering taking on a similarly ambitious project?
Steve smiled. “I’d probably tell them, ‘Don’t do it!’ But seriously, it depends on your risk tolerance. If you’re someone who needs to control everything, a project like this isn’t for you. It’s not going to make sense on paper, and it’s not about making money.”
“But if you’re willing to take a risk and focus on the experience and the people, then the rewards are huge. For us, it was about pushing ourselves to see what we could accomplish. And that’s what I’d tell other leaders—challenge yourself, challenge your team, and be open to what you’ll learn along the way.”
The Burning Man project wasn’t just about setting up EMS and Rampart in the desert. It was about resilience, trust, and community. We learned to rely on each other, adapt to the unknown, and embrace the challenges that came our way. Burning Man reminded us that when we take care of our people and trust them to rise to the occasion, great things happen.
Whether you’re in healthcare or another industry, the same lessons apply: focus on your people, trust your team, and be ready to face the unknown together!