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Terminology
A B C D E
F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
X Y Z
ACTION PLAN - Any tactical
plan developed by any element of ICS in support of the incident
action plan.
ACTIVE CROWN FIRE - A fire in which a solid flame develops
in the crowns of trees, but the surface and crown phases advance
as a linked unit dependent on each other.
AGENCY/AREA COORDINATION CENTER - A facility which serves
as a central point for one or more agencies to use in processing
information and resource requests. It may also serve as a dispatch
center for one of the agencies.
ALL RISK - Any incident, natural or human-caused, that
warrants action to save lives and to protect property, environment,
public health and safety, and minimize disruption of governmental,
social, and economic activities. It includes planned events
that require extensive planning and operational control that
is beyond routine and procedural models.
AIR ATTACK - The deployment of fixed wing or rotary
aircraft on a wildland fire, to drop retardant or extinguishing
agents, shuttle and deploy crews and supplies, or perform
aerial reconnaissance of the overall fire situation.
AIR TANKER - Fixed-wing aircraft certified by the FAA
as being capable of transport and delivery of fire retardant
solutions.
APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT RESPONSE - Specific actions
taken in response to a wildland fire to implement protection
and fire use objectives. This term is a new term that does
not replace any previously used term.
AREA COMMAND - An organization established to: (1)
oversee the management of multiple incidents that are each
being handled by an incident management team (IMT) organization;
or (2) to oversee the management of a very large incident
that has multiple IMT's assigned to it. Area Command has the
responsibility to set overall strategy priorities, allocate
critical resources based on priorities, ensure that incidents
are properly managed and that objectives are met and strategies
are followed.
ASPECT - Cardinal direction toward which a slope faces.
ATTACK A FIRE - Limit the spread of fire by appropriate
means.
AVAILABLE FUEL - (1) That portion of the total fuel
that would actually burn under various environmental conditions.
(2) Fuel available for use in a motor vehicle, aircraft, or
other motorized equipment.
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B
BACKBURN - Used in some localities
to specify fire set to spread against the wind in prescribed
burning, also called backing fire.
BACKFIRE - A fire set along the inner edge of a control
line to consume the fuel in the path of a wildfire and/or change
the direction of force in the fire's convection column.
BACKFIRING - A tactic associated with indirect attack,
intentionally setting fire fuels inside the control line to
slow knock down or contain a rapidly spreading fire. Backfiring
provides a wide defense perimeter and may be further employed
to change the force of the convection column. Backfiring makes
possible a strategy of locating control lines at places where
the fire can be fought on the firefighter's terms. Except for
rare circumstance meeting specified criteria, backfiring is
executed on a command decision made through line channels of
authority.
BACKING FIRE - Fire spreading, or ignited to spread into
(against) the wind or down slope. A fire spreading on level
ground in the absence of wind is a backing fire.
BLACKLINE - Preburning of fuels adjacent to control line
before igniting a prescribed burn. Blacklining is usually done
in heavy fuels adjacent to a control line during periods of
low fire danger to reduce heat on holding crews and lessen the
chances of spotting across control line. In fire suppression,
a blackline denotes a condition where there is no unburned material
between the fireline and the fire edge.
BLOWUP - Sudden increase in fireline intensity or rate
of spread of a fire sufficient to preclude direct control or
to upset existing suppression plans. Often accompanied by violent
convection and may have other characteristics of a fire storm.
BRUSH FIRE - A fire burning in vegetation that is predominately
shrubs, brush, and scrub growth.
BURN BOSS - Person responsible for supervising prescribed
fire from ignition through mop-up.
BURN OUT - Setting fire inside a control line to consume
fuel between the edge of the fire and the control line.
BURNING CONDITIONS - The state of the combined factors
of the environment that affect fire behavior in a specified
fuel type.
BURNING INDEX - An estimate of the potential difficulty
of fire containment as it relates to the flame length at the
head of the fire. A relative number related to the contribution
that fire behavior makes to the amount of effort needed to contain
a fire in a specified fuel type. Doubling the burn index indicates
that twice the effort will be required to contain a fire in
that fuel type as was previously required, providing all other
parameters are held constant.
BURNING PERIOD - The part of each 24 hr period when fires
will spread most rapidly. Typically 10:00am to sundown.
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CAMP - A geographical site (s)
within the general incident area, separate from the incident
base, equipped and staffed to provide sleeping, food, water
and sanitary services to incident personnel.
CARRIER FUELS - The fuels that support the flaming front
of the moving fire.
CHAIN - Unit of measure in land survey, equal to 66 feet
(20 M) (80 chains equal one mile). Commonly used to report fire
perimeters and other fireline distances, this unit is popular
in fire management because of its convenience in calculating
acreage. (e.g. 10 square chains equal one acre).
CLASS OF FIRE - (As to kind of fire for purpose of using
proper extinguisher):
- Class A - Fires involving ordinary
combustible materials ( such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber,
and many plastics) requiring the heat absorbing (cooling)
effects of water, water solutions or the coating effects
of certain dry chemicals which retard combustion.
- Class B - Fires involving flammable
or combustible liquids, flammable gasses, greases, and similar
materials where extinguishment is most readily secured by
excluding oxygen, inhibiting the release of combustible
vapors, or interrupting the combustion chain reaction.
- Class C - Fires involving live
electrical equipment where safety to the operator requires
the use of electrical nonconductive extinguishing agents.
- Class D - Fires involving certain
combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium,
sodium, potassium, etc. requiring a heat absorbing extinguishing
medium not reactive with burning metals.
CLOSED AREA - An area in which specified activities or
entry are temporarily restricted to reduce risk of human caused
fires.
COLD TRAILING - A method of controlling a partly dead
fire edge by carefully inspecting and feeling with the hand
for heat to detect any fire, digging out any live spot, and
trenching any live edge.
COMPLEX - Two or more individual incidents located in
the same general area of proximity which are assigned to a single
incident commander, or unified command.
CONFINE - Confinement is the strategy employed in appropriate
management responses where a fire perimeter is managed by a
combination of direct and indirect actions and use of natural
topographic features, fuel, and weather factors.
CONTAINMENT - (1) Completion of a control line around
a wildland fire and any associated spot fires which can reasonably
be expected to stop the fires spread. (2) The act of controlling
hazardous spilled or leaking materials. Used for fire reporting
purposes.
CONTROL - To complete a control line around a wildland
fire, any spot fire therefrom, and any interior islands to be
saved; burn out any unburned area adjacent to the fire side
of the control lines; and cool down all hot spots that are immediate
threats to the control line, until the line can reasonably be
expected to hold under the foreseeable conditions. Used for
fire reporting purposes.
CONFINE/CONTAIN/CONTROL - These terms, when used in the
context of suppression strategies, are confusing since they
also have tactical meanings. Containment and control will continue
to be used to represent the status of a particular fire for
reporting purposes (e.g., a controlled fire, date of control,
date of containment, etc.) and not to represent a typ of management
strategy.
COOPERATING AGENCY - An agency supplying assistance including
but not limited to direct tactical or support functions or resources
to the incident control effort (e.g. Red Cross, law enforcement
agency, telephone Co, etc.).
CREEPING FIRE - Fire burning with a low flame spreading
slowly.
CREW - An organized group of firefighters under the leadership
of a crew boss or other designated official.
CROWN FIRE - A fire that advances from top to top of
trees or shrubs more or less independent of a surface fire.
Crown fires are sometimes classed as running or dependant to
distinguish the degree of independence from the surface fire.
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DIRECT ATTACK - Any treatment
applied directly to burning fuel such as wetting, smothering,
or chemically quenching the fire or by physically separating
the burning from unburned fuel.
DISPATCH CENTER - A facility from which resources are
directly assigned to an incident.
DROUGHT - A period of relatively long duration with substantially
below normal precipitation , usually occurring over a large
area.
DROUGHT INDEX - A number representing net effect of evaporation,
transpiration, and precipitation in producing cumulative moisture
depletion in deep duff or upper soil levels.
DRY LIGHTNING STORM - Thunderstorm in which negligible
precipitation reaches the ground, also called dry storm.
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ECOSYSTEM - An interacting natural
system including all the component organisms together with the
abiotic environment and processes affecting them.
EMERGENCY FIREFIGHTER - (EEF) Person employed as an emergency
worker on forest or wildland fire that threatens damage to property
under public management. Hired for the duration of the emergency
only.
ENTRAPMENT - A situation in where personnel are unexpectedly
caught in fire behavior-related, life threatening position where
planned escape routes or safety zones are absent, inadequate,
or compromised. An entrapment may or may not include deployment
of a fire shelter for its intended purpose. These situations
may or may not result in injury. They include near misses.
ESCAPE ROUTE - A preplanned and understood route firefighters
take to move to a safety zone or other low-risk area. When escape
routes deviate from a defined physical path, they should be
clearly marked (flagged).
ESCAPED FIRE - Fire which has exceeded or is expected
to exceed initial attack capabilities or prescription.
ESCAPED FIRE SITUATION ANALYSIS (EFSA) - This term is
replaced by the term "Wildland Fire Situation Analysis."
EXTENDED ATTACK INCIDENT - A wildland fire that has not
been contained or controlled by initial attack forces and for
which more firefighting resources are arriving, en route , or
being ordered by initial attack incident commander. Extended
attack implies that complexity level of the incident will increase
beyond the capabilities of initial attack incident command.
EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR - "Extreme" implies a level of
fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods
of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually
involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning and/or spotting,
presence of fire whirls, strong convection column. Predictability
is difficult because such fires often exercise some degree of
influence on their environment and behave erratically, sometimes
dangerously.
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FINE FUEL MOISTURE - The probable
moisture content of fast drying fuels which have a timelag constant
of one hour or less; such as grass, leaves, ferns, tree moss,
pine needles, and small twigs,(0-1/4").
FIRE BEHAVIOR - The manner in which a fire reacts to
the variables of fuel, weather, and topography.
FIRE BEHAVIOR FORECAST - Prediction of probable fire
behavior, usually prepared by a fire behavior analyst, in support
of suppression, or prescribed burning operations.
FIREBRAND - Any source of heat natural or human made,
capable of igniting wildland fuels. Flaming or growing fuel
particles that can be carried naturally by wind, convection
currents, or by gravity into unburned fuels.
FIRE CACHE - A supply of fire tools and equipment assembled
in planned quantities or standard units at a strategic point
for exclusive use in fire suppression.
FIRE DANGER - The sum of constant danger and variable
danger factors, affecting the inception, spread, resistance
to control, and subsequent fire damage; often expressed as an
index.
FIRE DANGER INDEX - A relative number indicating severity
of wildland fire danger as determined from burning conditions,
and other variable factors of fire danger.
FIRE ECOLOGY - The study of the effects of fire on living
organisms and their environment.
FIREFIGHTER - Person whose principle function is fire
suppression.
FIRELINE - The part of a control line that is scraped
or dug to mineral soil. Also called fire trail.
FIRE FRONT - The part of fire in which continuous flaming
combustion is taking place. Unless otherwise specified, the
fire front is assumed to be the leading edge of the fire perimeter
in ground fires, the fire front may be mainly smoldering combustion.
FIRELINE INTENSITY - The product of the available heat
of combustion per unit of ground and the rate of spread of the
fire, interpreted as the heat release per unit of time for each
unit length of the fire edge. The primary unit is Btu per second
per foot (Btu/sec/ft) of fire front.
FIRE MANAGEMENT - Activities required for the protection
of burnable wildland values from fire and the use of prescribed
fire to meet land management objectives.
FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN (FMP) - A strategic plan that defines
a program to manage wildland and prescribed fires and documents
the Fire Management Program in the approved land use plan. The
plan is supplemented by operational procedures such as preparedness
plans, preplanned dispatch plans, prescribed fire plans and
prevention plans.
FIRE MANAGEMENT UNIT (FMU) - any land management area
definable by objectives, topographic features, access, values-to-be-protected,
political boundaries, fuel types, or major fire regimes, etc.,
that set it apart from management characteristics of an adjacent
unit. FMU's are delineated in FMP's. These units may have dominant
management objectives and preselected strategies to accomplish
these objectives. FIRE MANAGEMENT AREA (FMA) - A sub-geographic
area within an FMU that represents a prefefined ultimate acceptable
management area for a fire manageed for resource benefits. This
predefined area can constitute a Maximum Manageable Area (MMA)
and is useful for those units having light fuel types conducive
to very rapid fire spread rates. Predefinition of these areas
removes the time-lag in defining an MMA after ignition and permits
preplanning of the fire area; identification of threats to life,
property, resources, and boundaries; and identification of intitial
actions. FIRE OCCURRENCE - The average number of fires
in a specified area during a specified time frame.
FIRE PREVENTION - Activities including education, engineering,
enforcement, and administration, that are directed at reducing
the number of wildfires, the cost of suppression, and fire caused
damages to resources and property.
FIRE QUALIFICATIONS - Computerized interagency summary
of fire suppression qualifications for listed personnel. Available
information includes fire training record, fire experience record,
and physical fitness testing score for each individual.
FIRE RETARDANT - Any substance except plain water that
by chemical or physical action reduces flammability of fuels
or slows their rate of combustion.
FIRE SEASON - (1) Period (s) of the year during which
wildland fires are likely to occur, spread, and affect resource
values sufficient to warrant fire management activities. (2)
A legally enacted time during which burning activities are regulated
by state or local authority.
FIRE SHELTER DEPLOYMENT - The removing of a fire shelter
from its case and using it as protection against fire.
FIRE STORM - Violent convection caused by a large continuous
area of intense fire, often characterized by destructively violent
surface indrafts, near and beyond the perimeter, and sometimes
by tornado-like whirls.
FIRE TRIANGLE - Instructional aid in which the sides
of a triangle are used to represent The tree factors ( oxygen,
heat, fuel) necessary for combustion; removal of any of the
three factors causes flame production to cease.
FIRE USE - The combination of wildland fire use (*see
below, "Wildland Fire Use") and prescribed fire application
to meet resource objectives.
FIRE WEATHER - Weather conditions which influence fire
ignition, behavior and suppression.
FIRE WHIRL - Spinning vortex column of ascending hot
air and gasses rising from a fire and carrying aloft smoke,
debris, and flame. Fir whirls range in size from less than
one foot over 500 feet in diameter. Large fire whirls have
the intensity of a small tornado.
FLAME HEIGHT - The average maximum vertical extension
of flames at the leading edge of the fire front. Occasional
flashes that rise above the flames are not considered. This
distance is less than the flame length if flames are tilted
due to wind or slope.
FLAME LENGTH - The distance between the flame tip and
the midpoint of the flame depth at the base of the flame (generally
the ground surface) , an indicator of fire intensity.
FLAMING FRONT - That zone of a flaming fire where the
combustion is primarily flaming. Behind this flaming zone
combustion is primarily glowing or burning out of larger fuels
(greater than about 3 inches in diameter).
FLANK FIRE - A firing technique consisting of treating
an area with lines of fire set into the wind which burn outward
at right angles to the wind.
FLASH FUELS - Fuels such as grass, leaves, draped pine
needles, fern, tree moss, and some kinds of slash, which ignite
readily, and are consumed rapidly when dry.( See also FINE
FUELS).
FORWARD RATE OF SPREAD - The speed with which a fire
moves in a horizontal direction across the landscape, usually
expressed in chains per hour, or feet per minute.
FUEL CONDITION - Relative flammability of fuel as determined
by fuel type and environmental conditions.
FUEL MODEL - Simulated fuel complex for which all fuel
descriptors required for the solution of a mathematical rate
of spread.
FUSEE - A colored flare designed as a railway warning
device widely used to ignite backfires and other prescribed
fires.
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G
GEOGRAPHIC AREA - A political boundary
designated by the wildland fire protection agencies, where these
agencies work together in the coordination and effective utilization
of resources within their boundaries. The National Interagency
Mobilization Guide identifies the area encompassed by the eleven
NWCG Geographic area.
GRASS FIRE - Any fire in which the predominant fuel type
is grass or grasslike.
GRIDDING - To search for a small fire by systematically
traveling over an area on parallel courses or gridlines.
GROUND FIRE - Fire that consumes the organic material
beneath the surface ground litter, such as a peat fire.
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HAINES INDEX - An atmospheric
index used to indicate the potential for wildfire growth by
measuring the stability and dryness of the air over a fire.
HAND CREW - A number of individuals that have been organized
and trained and are supervised principally for operational assignments
on an incident.
HANDLINE - Fireline constructed with hand tools.
HELITACK - The utilization of helicopters to transport
crews, equipment, and fire retardants or suppressants to the
fireline during the initial stages of the fire. The term also
refers to the crew that performs helicopter management and attack
activities.
HOTSHOT CREW - Intensively trained firefighting crew
used primarily in hand line construction. Often referred to
as a Type 1 crew.
HUMAN CAUSED FIRE - Any fire caused directly or indirectly
caused by person(s).
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INCIDENT - An occurrence either
human caused or natural phenomenon, that requires action or
support by emergency service personnel to prevent or minimize
loss of life or damage to property and/or natural resources.
INCIDENT COMMAND POST (ICP) - Location at which primary
command functions are executed. The ICP may be collocated with
the incident base or other incident facilities.
INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM (ICS) - A standardized on-scene
emergency management concept specifically designed to allow
its user(s) to adopt an integrated organizational structure
equal to the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents,
without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.
INCIDENT COMMANDER - Individual responsible for the management
of all incident operations at the incident site.
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM - The incident commander and
appropriate general and command staff personnel assigned to
an incident.
INDIRECT ATTACK - An aggressive suppression action consistent
with firefighter and public safety and values to be protected.
INITIAL ATTACK - An aggressive suppression action consistent
with firefighter and public safety and values to be protected.
INVERSION - An increase of temperature with height in
the atmosphere. Vertical motion in the atmosphere is inhibited
allowing for pollution buildup.
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KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX -
Commonly-used drought index adapted for fire management applications,
with a mumerical range from 0 (no moisture deficiency) to 800
(maxium drought).
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LADDER FUELS - Fuels which provide
vertical continuity between strata, thereby allowing fire to
carry from surface fuels into the crowns of trees or shrubs
with relative ease. They help initiate and assure the continuation
of crowning.
LARGE FIRE - (1) For statistical purposes, a fire burning
more than a specified area of land e.g., 100 acres in shrub,
timber, and 300 acres in grass. (2) A fire burning with a size
and intensity such that its behavior is determined by interaction
between its own convection column and weather conditions above
the surface.
LEAD PLANE - Aircraft with pilot used to make trial runs
over the target area to check wind, smoke conditions, topograghy
and to lead air tankers to targets and supervise their drops.
LIGHTNING FIRE - Wildfire caused directly or indirectly
by lightning.
LINE HOLDING - Ensuring that the established fireline
has completely stopped fire progress.
LOOKOUT - (1) A person designated to detect and report
fires from a ventage point. (2) A location from which fires
can be detected and reported. (3) A fire crew member assigned
to observe the fire and warn the crew when there is danger of
becoming trapped.
LOOKOUT(S), COMMUNICATION(S), ESCAPE ROUTE(S), AND SAFTEY
ZONE(S) - Elements of a safety system used by fire fighters
to routinely assess their current situation with respect to
wildland firefighting hazards.
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MANAGEMENT IGNITED PRESCRIBED FIRE
(MIPF) - This term is replaced by the term "Prescribed Fire."
MAXIMUM MANAGEABLE AREA (MMA) - The firm limits of management
capability to accommodate the social, political, and resource
impacts of a wildland fire. Once established as part of an approved
plan, the general impact area is fixed and not subject to change.
MMA's can be developed as part of the FMP and described as an
FMA. They can also be developed as part of the planning and
implementation of management actions after a fire has ignited.
If they are developed after the ignition, their definition will
occur during the Wildland Fire Implementation Plan Stage III
process. In the event a fire occurs in a preplanned MMA or FMA
and the local unit determines that this MMA is not the best-suited
alternative for the present conditions, a new MMA can be developed
as part of the Stage III process. Once this occurs, the Stage
III MMA becomes the firm limits of the fire and is fixed.
MONSOON CLIMATE - Climate characterized by (a) a long
winter-spring dry season which includes a "cold season" followed
by a short "hot season" immediately preceding the rains, (b)
a summer and early autumn rainy season which is usually very
wet (but highly variable from year to year), and ( c) a secondary
maximum of temperature immediately after the rainy season.
MOP-UP - Extinguishing or removing burning material near
control lines, felling snags, and trenching logs to prevent
rolling after an area has burned, to make a fire safe, or to
reduce residual smoke.
MULTI-AGENCY COORDINATION - A generalized term which
describes the functions and activities of representatives of
involved agencies and/or jurisdictions who come together to
make decisions regarding the prioritizing of incidnets, and
the sharing and use of critical resources. The MAC organization
is not a part of the on-scene ICS and is not involved in developing
incident strategy or tactics.
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NATIONAL ADVANCED RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY
CENTER (NARTC) - Multiagency training facility at Pinal
Air Park, Marana, Arizona, which specializes in presentation
of national-level fire management training courses.
NATIONAL FIRE DANGER RATING SYSTEM - A uniform fire danger
rating system that focuses on the environment factors that control
the moisture content of fuels.
NATIONAL INTERAGENCY COORDINATION CENTER (NICC) - Coordinates
allocation of resoures to one or more Area Coordination Centers
of major fires within the nation. NICC is located at the National
Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.
NATIONAL INTERAGENCY FIRE CENTER (NIFC) - A facility
located at Boise, Idaho, jointly operated by several federal
agencies, dedicated to coordination, logistical support, and
improved weather services in support of fire management operations
throughout the United States.
NATIONAL INTERAGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NIMS) - An NWCG
developed program consisting of five major subsystems which
collectively provide a total systems approach to all-risk incident
management. The subsystems are: The incident command system;
training; qualifications and certification; supporting technologies;
and public management.
NATIONAL WILDFIRE COORDINATION GROUP - A group formed
under the direction of the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture
to improve the coordination and effectiveness of wildland fire
activities and provide a forum to discuss, recommend appropriate
action, or resolve issues and problems of substantive nature.
NOMEX (R) - Trade name for a fire resistant synthetic
material used in the manufacturing of flight suits and pants
and shirts used by firefighters. Aramid is the generic name.
NORMAL FIRE SEASON - (1) A season when weather, fire
danger, and number and distribution of fires are about average.
(2) Period of the year that normally comprises the fire season.
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ONE-HOUR TIMELAG FUELS - Fuels
consisting of dead herbaceous plants and roundwood less that
about one-fourth inch (6.4 mm) in diameter. Also included is
the uppermost layer of needles or leaves on the forest floor.
ONE-HOUR TIMELAG FUEL MOISTURE - Moisture content of
one-hour timelag fuels.
ONE-HUNDRED HOUR TIMELAG FUELS - Dead fuels consistiong
of roundwood in the size range of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6
cm) in diameter and very roughly the layer of litter extending
from approximately three-fourths of an inch (1.9 cm) to 4 inches
(10 cm) below the surface.
ONE-HUNDRED HOUR TIMELAG FUEL MOISTURE - The moisture
content of the 100-hour timelag fuels.
ONE-THOUSAND-HOUR TIMELAG FUELS - Dead fuels consisting
of roundwood 3-8 inches in diameter and the layer of the forest
floor more that about 4 inches below the surface.
ONE-THOUSAND-HOUR TIMELAG FUEL MOISTURE - The moisture
content of the 1,000-hour timelag fuels.
OVERHEAD - Personnel assigned to supervisory positions,
including incident commander, command staff, general staff,
branch directors, supervisors, unit leaders, managers and staff.
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PARTS OF A FIRE - On typical
free-burning fires the spread is uneven with the main spread
moving with the wind or up slope. The most rapidly moving portion
is designated the head of the fire, the adjoining portions of
the perimeter at right angles to the head are known as the flanks,
and the slowest moving portion is known as the rear or the base
of the fire.
PATROL - (1) To travel over a given route to prevent,
detect, and suppress fires. (2) To go back and forth vigilantly
over a length of control line during and/or after construction
to prevent breakovers, suppress spot fires, and extinguish overlooked
hot spots. (3) A person or goup of persons who carry out patrol
actions.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) - The equipment and
clothing required to mitigate the risk of injury from or exposure
to hazardous conditions encountered during the performance of
duty. PPE includes, but is not limited to: fire resistant clothing,
hard hat, flight helments, shroud, goggles, gloves, respirators,
hearing protection, chainsaw chaps, and shelter.
POINT OF ORGIN - Point of original ignition of a fire.
PREPAREDNESS - Activities that lead to a safe, efficient
and cost effective fire management program in support of land
and resource management objectives through appropriate planning
and coordination. This term replaces the term "presuppression."
PRESCRIBED BURNING - Controlled application of fire to
wildland fuels in either their natural or modified state, under
specified environmental conditions which allow the fire to be
confined to a predetermined area, and produce the fire behavior
and characteristics required to attain planned fire treatment
and resource management objectives.
PRESCRIBED FIRE - Any fire ignited by management actions
to meet specific objectives. A written, approved prescribed
fire plan must exist, and NEPA requirements must be met, prior
to ignition. This term replaces the term "mangement ignited
prescribed fire."
PRESCRIBED FIRE PLAN - A plan required for each fire
application ignited by managers. It must be prepared by qualified
personnel and approved by the appropriate agency administrator
prior to implementation. Each plan will follow specific agency
direction and must include critical elements described in agency
manuals. Formats for plan development vary among agencies, although
content is the same.
PRESCRIBED NATURAL FIRE (PNF) - This term no longer represents
a type of fire and has no further use other than in historical
descriptions. This term is replaced by "Wildland Fire Use."
PRESCRIPTION - Measurable criteria that define conditions
under which a prescribed fire may be ignited, guide selection
of appropriate management responses, and indicate other required
actions. Prescription criteria may include safety, economic,
public health, environmental, geographic, administrative, social,
or legal considerations.
PROJECT FIRE - Usually refers to a fire requiring people
and equipment beyond the resources of the protection unit on
which the fire originates.
PRESUPPRESSION - This term is replaced by the term "preparedness"
to match policy and appropriation language.
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RATE OF SPREAD - The relative
activity of a fire in extending its horizontal dimensions. It
is expressed as rate of increase of the total perimeter of the
fire, as rate of forward spread of the fire front, or as rate
of increase in area, depending on the intended use of the information.
Usually it is expressed in chains or acres per hour for a specific
period in the fire's history.
RED CARD - Fire qualification card issued to fire rated
persons showing their qualifications and their training needs
to fill specified fire suppression positions in a large fire
suppression or incident organization.
RED FLAG WARNING - Term used by fire weather forecasters
to alert forecast users to an ongoing or imminent critical fire
weather pattern.
RESOURCE ORDER - The form used by dispatchers, service
personnel, and logistics coordinators to document the request,
ordering or release of resources, and the tracking of those
resources on an incident.
RETARDANT - A substance or chemical agent which reduces
the flammability of combustibles.
RETARDANT DROP - Fire retardant cascaded from an air
tanker or helitanker.
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SAFTEY ZONE - An area cleared
of flammable materials used for escape in the event the line
is outflanked or in case a spot fire causes fuels outside the
control ine to render the line unsafe. In firing operations,
crews progress so as to maintain a safety zone close at hand
allowing the fuels inside the control line to be consumed before
going ahead. Safety zones may also be constructed as integral
parts of fuelbreaks; they are greatly enlarged areas which can
be used with rlative safety by firefighters and their equipment
in the event of blowup in the vicinity.
SEVERITY INDEX - A number that indicates the relative
net effects of daily fire danger on the fire load for an area
during a specified period, such as a fire season.
SLASH - Debris resulting from such natural events as
wind, fire, or snow breakage; or such human activities as road
construction, logging, pruning, thinning, or brush cutting.
It includes logs, chunks, bark, branches, stumps, and broken
understory trees or brush.
SLOPOVER - A fire edge that crosses a control line or
natural barrier intended to confine the fire. Also called breakover.
SMOKEJUMPER - A specifically trained and certified firefighter
who travels to wildland fires by aircraft and parachutes to
the fire.
SMOKEY BEAR - The symbol of the Cooperative Forest Fire
Prevention Program since 1945. The program was originated by
the Forest Service, USDA, in cooperation with the National Association
of State Foresters and the Advertising Council to fight against
the waste of natural resources resulting from forest fires,
90% of which are caused by people.
SMOLDERING - A fire burning without flame and barely
spreading.
SNAG - A standing dead tree or part of a dead tree from
which at least the leaves and smaller branches have fallen.
Often called a stub, if less than 20 feet tall.
SPOT FIRE - Fire ignited outside the perimeter of the
main fire by a firebrand.
SPOTTING - Behavior of a fire producing sparks or embers
that are carried by the wind and start new fires beyond the
zone of direct ignition by the main fire.
STAGING AREA - Locations set up at an incident where
resources can be placed while awaiting a tactical assignment
on a three minute available basis. Staging Areas are managed
by the Operations Section.
STRIKE TEAM - Specified combinations of the same kind
and type of resources with common communications, and a leader.
SUPPRESS A FIRE - The most aggressive wildfire suppression
strategy leading to the total extinguishment of a wildfire.
SURFACE FIRE - Fire that burns loose debris on the surface,which
includes dead branches, leaves, and low vegetation.
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TEAMS - As with all resources
within the incident command system, incident management teams
are 'typed' to better identify and communicate the capabilities
they bring to incident management
- Type 1 Incident Management Team
(IMT) - Considered to have the most experienced and
qualified personnel available for managing the largest and
most complex incidents. Most Type 1 team members have
experience on Type 2 teams and have multi-functional experience.
A Type 1 Team consists of 35-40 core members and be able
to manage the largest incidents, including those involving
branching for effective span-of-control and large scale
aviation operations. This and their experience with
multiple jurisdictions and agencies, complex fiscal situations,
high profile public and media events, high political interests
locally and nationally, and the shear size of organizations
(i.e. managing a high number of crews, engines, air resources,
tenders) typically associated wit the largest incidents
are frequently the reason Type 1 teams are assigned.
- Type 2 Incident Management Team
(IMT) - Considered to be the most effective at smaller
and lesser complex incidents. Consists of 25-30 core
members, generally formed within a zone or sub-geographic
area of the larger geographic area. Type 2 teams are
generally used for local and areawide incidents, where a
moderate number of resources are assigned, local/state political
interest is high, and fiscal accountability requires consistent
oversight and management.
- Type 3 Incident Management Team
(IMT) - Considered to be most effective on smaller
and less complex local incidents with minimal resources
assigned to the incident.
TENDERS - See Water Tenders.
TEN-HOUR TIMELAG FUEL MOISTURE - The moisture content of the 10-hour timelag roundwood fuels.
TEN-HOUR TIMELAG FUELS - Dead fuels consisting of roundwood
1/4 to 1-inch (0.6 to 2.5 cm) in diameter and, very roughly,
the layer of litter extending from immediately below the surface
to 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) below the surface.
TEST FIRE - A prescribed fire set to evaluate such
things as fire behavior, detection performance, and control
measures.
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W
WATER TENDERS - Water tenders retrieve water from ponds,
creeks, rivers, etc and transport water to a fire. Tank
capacity on a water tender can range from 100 gallons to 2,000
gallons or more.
WEATHER INFORMATION
AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - An interactive computer system
designed to accommodate the weather information needs of all
federal and state natural resource management agencies. Provides
timely access to weather forecasts, current and historical
weather data, the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS),
and the National Interagency Fire Management Integrated Database
(NIFMID).
WILDFIRE - An unwanted wildland fire.
WILDLAND - An area in which development is essentially
non-existent except for roads, railroads, power lines, and
similar transportation facilities. Structures if any, are
widely tered.
WILDLAND FIRE - Any non-structure fire, other than
prescibed fire, that occurs in the wildland. This term encompasses
fires previously called both wildfires and prescribed natural
fires.
WILDLAND FIRE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (WFIP) - A progressively
developed assessment and operational management plan that
documents the analysis and selection of strategies and describes
the appropriate management response for a wildland fire being
managed for resource benefits. A full WRIP consists of three
stages. Different levels of completion may occur for differing
management strategies (i.e. fires managed for resource benefits
will have two- three stages of the WFIP completed while some
fires that received a suppression response may only have a
portion of Stage I completed).
WILDLAND FIRE SITUATION ANALYSIS (WFSA) - A decision
making process that evaluates alternative management strategies
against selected safety, environmental, social, economical,
political, and resource management objectives.
WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION - An appropriate mangement
response to wildland fire that results in curtailment of fire
spread and eliminates all identified threats from the particular
fire. All wildland fire suppression activities provide for
firefighter and public safety as the highest consideration,
but minimize loss of resource values, economic expenditures,
and/or the use of critical firefighting resources.
WILDLAND FIRE USE - The management of naturally ignited
wildland fires to accomplish specific prestated resource management
objectives in predefined geographic areas outlined in FMP's.
Operational management is described in the WFIP. Wildland
fire use is not to be confused with "fire use," which is a
broader term encompassing more than just wildland fires (see
below).
FIRE USE - The combination of wildland
fire use and prescribed fire application to meet resource
objectives.
WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE - The line,
area, or zone where structures and other human development meet
or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.
WIND DIRECTION - Compass direction from which wind is
blowing.
WIND SHIFT - A change in the average wind direction of
45 degrees or more which takes place in less than 15 minutes
if the wind speed during this period is 6 knots (3 m/s) or greater.
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ZONE WEATHER FORECAST - A portion
of the general fire weather forecast issued on a regular basis
during the normal fire season specifically to fit the requirements
of fire management needs; i.e., time, areas, and weather elements.
These zones or areas are a combination of administrative and
climatological areas, usually nearly the size of an individual
forest or district.
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