NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Overview

The NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire provides an extensive listing of approved terms and definitions used by the NWCG community. It contains terms commonly used by NWCG in the areas of wildland fire and incident management and is not intended to list all terms used by NWCG groups and member agencies. The NWCG has directed that all committee and subgroup product glossaries be contained within the NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire to maintain definition consistency and clarity among documents.

Comments, questions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the appropriate agency program manager assigned to the Data Standards and Terminology Board (DSTB).

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205 (Quick View)

EDG Explorer is a database platform used for managing NWCG Glossary terms. The following table is a quick view of the terms found in EDG. More detailed information such as rules, documentation, and term relationships may be viewed in EDG Explorer.

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Title	Status	Definition
Structure Fire	Approved	An event dealing with a fire originating in and burning any part or an entire building, shelter, or other structure.
Landslide/Mass Earth Movement/Avalanche/Sinkhole	Approved	An event dealing with response to mass movement of the earth's surface, including landslide, mudslide, slumping, sinkhole etc.
Urban Search/Rescue/Recovery	Approved	An event dealing with a search, and/or rescue, and/or recovery in an urban setting.
Asset Replacement		A useful thing or quality to be put back after loss.
Major Asset Replacement		A useful thing or quality to be put back after loss.
Asset Repair		A useful thing or quality to be fixed or mended.
Minor Repair		A useful thing or quality to be fixed or mended.
Treatment		Actions that affect fuel or vegetative conditions, community adaptation, public safety, or public land access through their completion.
Document Preparation		Development and composition of written communication instruments.
Minor Asset Replacement		A useful thing or quality to be fixed or mended.
Compliance		Actions taken to conform with legal requirements.
Community Event	Approved	An event initiated by local private or government organizations that require non-emergency services for a general gathering such as a concert, convention, or parade.
Public Assistance	Approved	A community or public service event, managed by an organization external to the fire community, which requires resource support from the fire community. This category includes VIP visits, law enforcement activities, concerts, conventions, parades, road/bridge closures, etc.
Flooding	Approved	An event dealing with response to a major flood.
Fire	Approved	An event, responded to and/or managed by the wildland fire community, where an ignition resulting in sustained combustion occurred.
Tsunami	Approved	An event dealing with response to a tsunami.
Proficiency & Currency Event	Approved	An event dealing with maintenance of licenses, currencies, or proficiencies, including recurring proficiencies.
Accident	Approved	An event, usually managed by organizations external to the fire community, for which the primary focus is for dealing with an accident and assistance to potential victims. This category includes accidents such as: automobile, aircraft, train, watercraft, and industrial.
Motor Vehicle Accident	Approved	An event dealing with an accident or mishap involving on- or off-highway vehicles.
Natural Disasters & Severe Weather	Approved	An event, usually managed by organizations external to the fire community, for which the primary focus is managing emergency situations created by severe weather or natural disaster.
Assessment		The evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something.
Warnings		Give notice of hazard or caution.
Non-Statistical/Other	Approved	An event dealing with any fire which could pose a threat to ignite adjacent wildland fuels but ultimately did not result in a wildfire and thus cannot be accurately classified as any of the other Fire (FI) Categories.
Activity		Actions necessary to conduct a future treatment or evaluate the success of a completed treatment that do not affect fuel or vegetative conditions, community adaptation, public safety, or public land access through their completion.
Search/Rescue/Recovery	Approved	An event, usually managed by organizations external to the fire community, for which the primary focus is the search, rescue and/or recovery of people or things. This category includes missing persons, entrapments, etc.
Out of Area Response	Approved	An event where resources are mobilized to a Wildfire (WF) Event within their corresponding dispatch Center’s response area (boundary). When resources arrive on scene, it is determined the ignition is not within their area of response, but in fact plots within an adjacent dispatch center’s response area (boundary).
Simulation	Approved	An event dealing with simulation of various situations to provide experience or proficiency.
other structures destroyed quantity	In Development
Structure Accident	Approved	An event dealing with a major accident or mishap such as collapse of a building or other man-made structure.
Management Event (internal)		An event dealing with agency-specific administrative programs, such as public relations.
Emergency Stabilization	Approved	An event dealing with emergency response to stabilize land and structures damaged by wildfire with the objective to protect life and property from damage due to post-fire events and fire. Usually occurring 1-12 months from ignition date.
Biological		A living organism.
Medical Assist	Approved	An event dealing with a rescue, and/or recovery, and/or service for a non-accident medical emergency (e.g. heart attack, illness, etc.).
Preparedness/Preposition	Approved	An event dealing with effective and efficient response by the wildland fire community to planned, anticipated or event activity. This category includes activities such as move-up and cover, fire menace standby, and severity activities.
Marine Accident	Approved	An event dealing with an accident or mishap involving watercraft.
On-The-Job Training	Approved	An event dealing a person’s experience and proficiency while performing assigned duties while performing a job.
Vehicle Fire	Approved	An event dealing with a fire originating in or on a vehicle or mobile equipment.
Resource Program (internal)	Approved	An event dealing with agency-specific non-fire program(s), such as forestry, mining, wildlife, fisheries, recreation, etc. Includes mechanical fuel treatment, timber operations, aerial bug spraying projects, Rainbow gatherings, etc.
Training & Proficiency	Approved	A scheduled activity that provides instruction to make attendees fit, qualified, or proficient in a particular area. This is a planned event.
Flammable Gas, Oil, and other liquids conditions	Approved	An event dealing with the various situations that arise as a result of the presence of flammable gas and liquids such as gasoline, oil, etc.
Agency Program Support	Approved	An event, managed by one of the fire agency's other (non-fire) program areas, for accomplishing activities deemed necessary by agency management.
Critical Incident Stress Management/Peer Support		An event dealing with a critical incident event. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)/Peer Support is the selection and implementation of the most appropriate crisis intervention tactics to best respond to the needs of the situation. CISM has multiple components other than responding after a critical incident occurs. These components can be used before, during, and after a crisis. They include a wide range of various activities, including PreIncident Education (PIE), which provides for resiliency, planning and preparedness, acute crisis management, and post-incident follow up.
False Alarm	Approved	An event where a wildfire was initially suspected, but ultimately an ignition could not be located; or the basis for the initial report was subsequently attributed to a non-fire source, such as water vapor or vented industrial emissions. The key point here is No FIRE, an incident cannot be a false alarm if an ignition is located.
Fire Management Action	Approved	An event, responded to and/or managed by the wildland fire management community, which addresses certain activities and responses undertaken by the wildland fire management community in conjunction with existing or potential fire event(s).
Fire Rehabilitation	Approved	An event dealing with objectives to repair damage or disturbance caused by wildfire. Efforts occurring 1-5 years from ignition date.
Classroom Training	Approved	An event dealing with a scheduled activity in a classroom setting or other controlled environment that provides instruction so as to make attendees fit or qualified for incident support activities.
Debris/Product Fire	Approved	An event dealing with a fire spreading from any fire originally ignited to clear land or burn rubbish, garbage, crop stubble, or meadows (excluding incendiary fires).
Chemical		A compound or substance that has been purified or prepared.
Hazardous Conditions		An event, usually managed by organizations external to the fire community, for which the primary focus is for dealing with a hazardous situation that poses an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property.
Radioactive/Nuclear Conditions	Approved	An event dealing with the various situations that arise as a result of the presence of radioactive materials.

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National Wildfire Coordinating Group

PMS 205

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Overview