NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Hose line or reel on a fire engine, carried preconnected to the pump, ready for use without making connections to pump or attaching nozzle.

Any vehicle capable of transporting a specified number of personnel in a specified manner.

Flow characteristics of liquid fire retardants, especially their cohesiveness or ability to hold together while falling through the air.

Water with added chemicals, called wetting agents, that increase water's spreading and penetrating properties due to a reduction in surface tension.

The discharge of distinct pockets of water and air due to the insufficient mixing of foam concentrate, water, and air in a compressed air foam system.

A device that adds a predetermined amount of foam concentrate to water to form foam solution.

Fire hose with a smooth inner coating of rubber or plastic to reduce friction loss.

Rotating part of a centrifugal pump which imparts energy to the liquid to be moved. For shearing purposes, the impeller is on a rotating shaft within the body of liquid.

Any ground vehicle capable of transporting a dozer, tractor, or other heavy piece of equipment.

A fitting that may be installed between lengths of hose to provide an independently controlled outlet for a branch line.

Apparatus utilizing an air compressor and positive displacement pump coupled to the same engine, plumbed to a non-pressurized tank, for producing foam. The operation involves injecting compressed air into a liquid stream containing a suitable foaming agent.

Supply of water at rest which does not provide a pressure head for fire suppression but which may be employed as a suction source for fire pumps (e.g., water in a reservoir, pond, or cistern).

Chemical that, when applied to a living plant, causes or accelerates drying of its aerial parts; used to facilitate burning of living vegetation by substantially lowering fuel moisture content within a few hours.

To detach two pieces of hose by backing the swivel thread off the nipple thread.

A professional firesetter-for-hire.

A cache may consist of a number of portable radios, base station, and, in some caches, a radio repeater that is stored in a predetermined location for dispatch to incidents.

The foam production process of forcing air into or entraining air in foam solution, creating a mass of bubbles.

The most common type of hose attached and stored on wildland engine booster reels. The hose is made of neoprene and does not appreciably collapse when stored empty.

A coat with a fire resistant outer shell and a thermal and moisture barrier liner. Used primarily by structure firefighters.

A substance or material which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce and which has been so designated.

The effective life span of foam bubbles.

Specialized trailer on which is mounted a tank, fire pump, hose, and ancillary equipment.

A combination hoe or cutting tool and rake, with or without removable blades.

Wheels powered by all of the vehicle's drive axles. Dual tires are considered as single wheels. The number of wheels is commonly referenced by the terms "4x2", "4x4", etc. where the first figure indicates the total number of wheels on the ground and the second figure, the number of drive wheels.

A device installed in a chimney, flue, or exhaust pipe to stop the emission of sparks and burning fragments.

Container, either with rigid frame or self supporting, which can be filled with water or fire chemical mixture from which fire suppression resources can be filled. It can also be a source for charging hose lays from portable pumps or stationary engines.

Any agent which retards a chemical reaction.

Process of extinguishing fire by the use of an agent that interrupts the chemical reactions in the combustion process.

A hose coupling with one or more cylindrical studs on its outside rim. The studs allow the use of a spanner wrench to tighten the coupling.

Liquid phosphate fertilizers used as fire retardants, usually diluted three to five times prior to application.

A control mechanism that allows a regulated quantity of foam concentrate to be introduced into the main hose line.

Procedure by which the flow from two fire pumps is combined into a third pump.

Fireline constructed by a tractor plow.

Method of carrying hose on the shoulders.

Procedure by which the flow from two fire pumps is combined into one hose line.

A reel for the booster hose mounted on a fire engine, often supplied by the auxiliary pump. This reel usually carries a 1-inch (25 mm) or 3/4 inch (19 mm) hose and frequently contains an electric rewind mechanism.

A rotating drum used for winding booster hose (normally) for storing and dispensing.

A hose connection with two outlets permitting two connections of the same coupling diameter to be taken from a single supply line.

Any steel tracked vehicle equipped with a front mounted blade used for exposing mineral soil.

Foam intended for use on Class A or woody fuels; made from hydrocarbon-based surfactant, therefore lacking the strong filming properties of Class B foam, but possessing excellent wetting properties.

Weight of a truck empty (without payload and driver) but ready to drive, including a full fuel tank, cooling system, crankcase, tools, spare wheel, and all other equipment specified as standard.

In hydraulics, the pressure loss caused by raising water through hose or pipe to a higher elevation (roughly equal to one psi for every two-foot increase in elevation above the pump) (11.3 kPa per meter).

A rubber tired or tracked rider-controlled automotive vehicle, used in wildland fire management for pulling a disk or a plow to construct fireline by exposing mineral soil.

A steel tracked vehicle with or without a front mounted blade equipped with a plow for exposing mineral soil. Sometimes a tractor plow with a front mounted blade is referred to as a dozer plow.

Two attached straight stream nozzle tips of different orifice size used to increase or restrict water flow.

A fire-trenching or digging tool having a sharp, tempered blade, which is useful for heavy grubbing, trenching, and light cutting.

Substances that are identified, classified, and regulated in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49 and Hazardous Materials Regulations 175.

Hose commonly of cotton, linen, or synthetic fiber construction without rubber tube or lining, often used for wildfires because of its light weight and self protecting (weeping) characteristics; such hose is attached to first-aid standpipes in buildings. At a specified flow, friction loss in unlined hose of a stated diameter is about twice that of lined fire hose. 

A pre-determined complement of tools, equipment and/or supplies stored in a designated location, available for incident use.

The vehicle’s license plate number for purposes of identifying equipment.