NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Small branches, needles, and leaves swept into a position by the wind and fixed by desiccation indicating the wind direction at the time of fire passage. One of the 11 NWCG categories of fire pattern indicators.

A scale drawing showing information about a fire scene.

Temperatures higher than that of the normal atmosphere, produced by the process of burning or oxidation.

Individual lightning or railroad fires, especially when several are started within a short time.

Carbonaceous material formed by incomplete combustion of an organic material, most commonly wood; remains of burned materials.

One who commits arson.

The first combustible material ignited beyond the components of the ignition source itself.

An offender who intentionally sets one fire.

Objective ranking of protection units within an administrative group based on the number of human-caused fires for at least the past five years.

The sequence or order of events that bring a competent ignition source, fuel first ignited and oxidant together allowing them to react with each other.

An offender who sets three or more fires at the same location during a limited period of time.

Colored flags attached to metal or plastic pins to designate the location of fire pattern indicators, evidence, and other items of interest.

At common law, the malicious and willful burning of another's dwelling, outhouse or parcel; by most modern statutes, the intentional and wrongful burning of someone else's, or one's own, property. Frequently requires proof of malicious or wrongful intent.

A fire resulting from recreational use, except smoking.

Someone with sufficient skill, knowledge, or experience in a given field so as to be capable of drawing inferences or reaching conclusions or opinions that an average person would not be competent to reach. The expert's opinion testimony should aim the judge or jury in their understanding of the fact at issue. 

Fire department procedure of inspecting premises after extinguishment of fire, to insure that fire is completely out and unable to rekindle before returning control to owner or occupants.

A search technique typically dividing into squares the specific origin area and ignition area of a wildland fire to systematically search for microscale fire pattern indicators and evidence.

Fine cracking of glass, usually from heat of fire.

Arsonist, especially a repetitive firesetter.

Objects that are easily susceptible to damage from head and flame and can be easily damaged or destroyed by suppression action and/or during the evidence collection process. E.g., cigarette ash.

The documented location where a photograph was taken.

Fire caused by mechanical equipment other than railroad operations.

Small particles of carbon, tarry and water vapor resulting from the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials such as wood, coal or oil.

Fire originating in and burning any part or all of any building, shelter, or other structure.

A char pattern that is created by the passage of wind around the trunk of a tree or pole-like object that creates vortices on the lee side and an area of stability.  The area of stability allows the heat and char pattern to rise higher on the lee side of the object.  Generally, the stronger the wind, the higher the wind vortex flame wrap will be.  White this is not a fire pattern indicator, it is a general indication of the direction of the wind at the time the pattern was created.

A concave or cup-shaped char pattern found on the side of fuels exposed to the oncoming fire including small stumps (generally 10 inch diameter and less are more reliable), grass stem ends and terminal ends of brush and tree limbs (generally less than 1/2 inch diameter) that indicate the direction of fire progression at that point. One of the 11 NWCG categories of fire pattern indicators.

The smallest area that a wildland fire investigator can define based on the physical evidence of the fire pattern indicators, within the specific origin area, in which a competent ignition source came into contact with the first fuel ignited and combustion was sustained.

Operational area on which firefighters combat a fire.

An area where evidence or potential evidence is or may be located and should be secured and protected from unauthorized entry.

The physical characteristics of the indicators that show the direction of fire spread, i.e., advancing, backing, or lateral.

A fixed location(s) used in correlation with field measurements to document spatial relationships between items of interest at the scene.

Elapsed time from fire discovery until the first personnel charged with initiating action for fire suppression are notified of its existence and location.

A liquid generally with a flash point below 140F (60C) and a vapor pressure that does not exceed 40 PSI at 100F (37.8C).

A fire that is intentional and wrongfully set to burn one's own or someone else's property.

A physical object that displays changes (fire effects) from exposure to heat, flame, and combustion by-products that can reveal the direction of fire progression at a precise location with accurate analysis. A fire pattern indicator is a single component of the overall fire pattern.

The relative change of some measurable quantity with change of temperature, like burning time per unit length, mostly expressed as mean change per degree in percentage of mean temperature within a certain range.

Combustible material, such as rolled rag, blankets and newspapers, or flammable liquid, used to spread fire from one area to others; usually used in conjunction with an incendiary device.

Area of change between advancing, lateral, and backing vectors.

A pyrotechnic device specifically designed to initiate burning of a fuel mixture or propellant.

A near scale depiction of the scene based on measurements and data.

Fire pattern that resembles a U or V shape and indicates the direction of fire progression in that area. One of the 11 NWCG categories of fire pattern indicators.

The comparative differences of damage to objects resulting from the fire’s passage.

There are two subsets of the white ash fire indicator, deposits and exposure.

Objects displaying more white ash deposits on the exposed surface of the object as opposed to the protected surface of the object indicating the direction of fire progression at that location.
Objects displaying more attached white ash on the exposed surface of the object as opposed to the protected surface of the object indicating the direction of fire progression at that location.

One of the 11 NWCG categories of fire pattern indicators.

Any class into which wildland fires are grouped according to their origin.

The larger area where the fire first established itself and is identified by an analysis of the fire behavior context, macroscale fire pattern indicators, and witness statements.

Rate at which a propellant and other combustibles burn.

Burning material at the points deliberately ignited for backfiring, slash burning, prescribed burning, and other purposes.

A wildland fuel that is suspended off the ground in such a way that fire may burn both over and under it.

In fire simulation, a darkened area within the fire perimeter; usually indicates fire has already passed through; usually created by an opaque material blocking out a selected portion of basic scene illumination.

A burning with great heat and intense light.