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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.  

Note: If the NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire is not displaying below please report it to NWCG Webmaster

Title Steward Status Definition
doughnut roll ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A 50 or 100-foot length of hose or a 50-foot length of hose rolled up for easy handling. There are various ways of forming the doughnut. A convenient one has both couplings close together with the male thread protected by the female coupling.

downloading NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

A calculated reduction in actual payload to provide a margin of safety.

dozer ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

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

dozer company ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A resource that includes a dozer, its transportation unit and a standard complement of personnel for its operation.

dozer line IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Fireline constructed by the front blade of a dozer.

dozer tender ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Any ground vehicle with personnel capable of maintenance, minor repairs, and limited fueling of dozers.

draft IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Drawing water from static sources such as a lake, pond, cistern, river, etc. into a pump which is above the level of the water supply. This is done by removing the air from the pump and allowing atmospheric pressure [14.7 psi (101 kPa) at sea level] to push water through a noncollapsible suction hose into the pump. 

drain time ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

The time (minutes) it takes for foam solution to drop out from the foam mass; for a specified percent of the total solution contained in the foam to revert to liquid and drain out of the bubble structure.

draped fuels FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Needles, leaves, and twigs that have fallen from above and have lodged on lower branches or brush. Draped fuels are part of aerial fuels.

drift FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee Approved

Effect of wind on smoke, retardant drops, paracargo, smokejumper streamers, etc.

drift smoke FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Smoke that has drifted from its point of origin and is no longer dominated by convective motion. May give false impression of a fire in the general area where the smoke has drifted.

drip torch ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Hand-held device for igniting fires by dripping flaming liquid fuel on the materials to be burned; consists of a fuel fount, burner arm, and igniter. Fuel used is generally a mixture of diesel and gasoline.

drive axle ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

An axle that supports a portion of the vehicle weight and transmits a driving force to the wheels.

drive wheels ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

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.

drizzle FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee, FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

Precipitation composed exclusively of water drops smaller than 0.02 inches (0.5 mm) in diameter.

drop configuration NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

The type of retardant drop selected to cover a ground target. Terms that can specify the type of drop configuration include Salvo Drop and Trail Drop.

drop pass IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee Approved

Indicates that the airtanker has the target in sight and will make a retardant drop on this run over the target.

drop pattern SEATB Single Engine Airtanker Board, IAB Interagency Airtanker Board Approved

The distribution of an aerially delivered retardant drop on the target area in terms of its length, width, and momentum (velocity x mass) as it approaches the ground. The latter determines the relative coverage level of the fire retardant on fuels within the pattern. 

Drop Zone SEATB Single Engine Airtanker Board, IHOPS Interagency Helicopter Operations Subcommittee, IAB Interagency Airtanker Board Approved

Target area for airtankers, helitankers, cargo dropping.

drought FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee, FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

A period of relatively long duration with substantially below-normal precipitation, usually occurring over a large area.

drought index FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee, FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

A number representing the net effect of evaporation, transpiration and precipitation in producing cumulative moisture depletion in deep duff or upper soil layers.

drum lifter NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Device used to transport a 55-gallon drum (208 L) via sling on a helicopter.

dry IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

The government furnishes all operating supplies after the equipment arrives at the incident.

dry adiabatic lapse rate FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

The rate of decrease of temperature with height of a parcel of dry air lifted adiabatically through an atmosphere in hydrostatic equilibrium. Numerically equal to 9.7670 C degrees per km or about 5.40 F degrees per thousand feet.

dry air mass FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A portion of the atmosphere that has a relatively low dew point temperature and where the formation of clouds, fog, or precipitation is unlikely.

dry bulb FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A name given to an ordinary thermometer used to determine the temperature of the air (to distinguish it from the wet bulb).

Dry Episode FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A contiguous series of days having a pre-established number of fire ignitions with a fuel dryness level that historically resulted in a significant fire event for a particular area.

dry foam ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A low expansion foam type with stable bubble structure and slow drain time which is used primarily for resource and property protection.

dry hydrant (natural source) ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Permanent devices with fire engine threads attached to expedite drafting operations in locations where there are water sources suitable for use in fire suppression (e.g., piers, wharves, bridges over streams, highways adjacent to ponds).

dry hydrant (suction source) ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Permanently installed supply private fire pumps which depend upon suction sources.

dry lightning storm FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Thunderstorm in which negligible precipitation reaches the ground.

dry run IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee Approved

A trial pass over the target area by a leadplane and/or an airtanker to pinpoint target areas and warn ground personnel of the impending retardant or extinguishing agent drop.

dry storage ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Refers to dry chemical retardants stored at air attack bases and available for mixing with water.

dry-bulb temperature FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

The temperature of the air measured in the shade 4-8 feet above the ground.

dry-bulb thermometer FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

In a psychrometer, the thermometer not covered with muslin which is used to determine air temperature.

duff FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

The layer of decomposing organic materials lying below the litter layer of freshly fallen twigs, needles, and leaves and immediately above the mineral soil.

durability (foam) ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

The effective life span of foam bubbles.

duty week IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Regular number of hours worked per week by a full-time firefighter, excluding overtime.

Earthquake Approved

An event dealing with response to an earthquake.

eddy FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee, FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A circular-like flow of a fluid (such as air or water) drawing its energy from a flow of much larger scale, and brought about by pressure irregularities as in the downwind (lee) side of a solid obstacle. For example, wind conditions may be erratic and may eddy on the downwind side of large rock outcroppings, buildings, etc. 

edge (fuel type) FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

The boundary between two fairly distinct fuel types.

edge (plant community) FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

The place where plant communities meet or where successional stages or vegetative conditions within plant communities come together.

edge firing FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Method of burning in which fires are set along the edges of an area and allowed to spread inward.

edit name (feature class) GSC Geospatial Subcommittee Approved

Name of the person editing the feature.

eductor ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A device used to introduce and mix fire chemical into a water stream. An eductor is a fitting with three ports, an inlet for water flow, an outlet for water flow, and an inlet for fire chemical concentrate. The flow of water through the eductor produces a region of lower pressure at the fire chemical inlet, drawing the chemical into the water stream. 

effective windspeed FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

The midflame wind speed adjusted for the effect of slope on fire spread.

ejector ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A siphon device used to fill an engine's tank when the water source is below or beyond the engine's drafting capability.

elapsed time IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived

The total time taken to complete any step(s) in fire suppression.

elearning IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee Archived

Conceptually represents the optimum integration of modern educational methods and professional staff development training with state of the art technology. The primary goal is enhancing on-the-job performance, motivation, and learning performance.

Elevation Approved
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