NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

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

A small ridge which extends finger-like from a main ridge.

Any obstruction to the spread of fire. Typically an area or strip devoid of combustible fuel.

Burning of any fuel outdoors without the use of mechanical combustion enhancements.

The organizational level having functional or geographical responsibility for major aspects of incident operations. A Branch falls between the Section Chief and the division or group in the Operations Section, and between the section and units in the Logistics Section. Branches are identified by Roman numerals or by functional area.

A course or courses that must be completed prior to initiating a position task book. Training which has been identified as required cannot be challenged; an agency equivalent course may be used as a substitute when the course meets or exceeds a required course's learning and performance objectives. 

The number and size of fires historically experienced on a given unit over a given period (usually one day) at a given index of fire danger.

To examine a fire area to obtain information about current and probable fire behavior and other related fire suppression information.

For statistical purposes, a fire burning more than a specified area of land e.g., 300 acres.

Three guiding values that should be the basis for the decisions that leaders make. The three values are:

Duty ─ How a leader values their job. Duty begins with everything required by law and policy, but is much more than that. A leader commits to excellence in all aspects of their professional responsibility so that when the job is done they can look back and say, "I couldn't have given any more".
Respect ─ How a leader values their co-workers. Respect for the individual forms the very basis for the rule of law in America. This value reminds leaders that those who follow are their greatest resource. Not all followers will succeed equally, but they all deserve respect.
Integrity ─ How a leader values himself or herself. An individual cannot be in charge of others unless they are in charge of their own actions. People of integrity separate what is right from what is wrong and act according to what they know is right, even at personal cost.

Eleven principles describing tangible behaviors that reflect and demonstrate the wildland fire leadership values. The eleven principles are:
Be proficient in your job.
Make sound and timely decisions.
Ensure tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.
Develop your subordinates for the future.
Know your subordinates and look out for their well-being.
Keep your subordinates informed.
Build the team.
Employ your subordinates in accordance with their capabilities.
Know yourself and seek improvement.
Seek responsibility and accept responsibility for your actions.
Set the example.

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.

A landing necessitated by apparent impending failure of engines, systems, or components which makes continued flight unadvisable.

Instantaneous explosion or rapid burning of superheated gases that occurs when oxygen is introduced into an oxygen-depleted confined space. It may occur because of inadequate or improper ventilation procedures.

The organizational level having responsibility for operations within a defined geographic area. Divisions are established when the number of resources exceeds the manageable span of control of the Section Chief. See Group.

An organizational subdivision established to divide the incident management structure into functional areas of operation. Groups are composed of resources assembled to perform a special function not necessarily within a single geographic area.

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 radio transmitter attached to the aircraft structure which operates from its own power source on 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz. The transmitter transmits a distinctive downward swept audio tone for homing purposes and is designed to function without human action after an accident. 

The boundary of a fire at a given moment.

Any uncontrolled fire near to or heading toward an area under organized fire protection.

A heat detection system used for fire detection, mapping, and hotspot identification.

The display or printout of an infrared scanner operating over a fire.

The chance that a firebrand will cause an ignition when it lands on receptive fuels.

Two or more units of any one type working one in front of the other to accomplish a specific fire suppression job; the term can be used in connection with crews of firefighters, power pumps, bulldozers, etc.

In fire suppression terminology, a fire spreading from any fire originally ignited to clear land or burn rubbish, garbage, crop stubble, or meadows (excluding incendiary fires).

A term used in weather primarily to describe a weak disturbance that does not necessarily have an associated storm center or surface low. The disturbance usually does not create severe weather and is frequently associated with a marine air push.

A group of ICS-qualified personnel consisting of an Incident Commander, Command and General Staff, and personnel assigned to other key ICS positions.

Any liquid or solid particles. "Total suspended particulates", as used in air quality, are those particles suspended in or falling through the atmosphere. They generally range in size (diameter) from 0.1 to 100 micrometers.

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.

A ridge of soil and debris along the outside edge of a fireline, resulting from line construction.

Describes how strongly a fire investigator holds an opinion or conclusion, includes two levels, Possible and Probable.

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

Composition of fuel laterally across the landscape.

A line of water, or water and chemical retardant, sprayed along the ground, and which serves as a temporary control line from which to ignite or stop a low-intensity fire.

Aircraft navigational equipment that provides the slant range distance in miles (kilometers) from the aircraft to the VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Radio Range) station to which the DME is tuned, usually at or near an airport.

The agency official at the home unit who is responsible for authorizing and granting position certification per agency policy. The agency official is responsible for completing the agency certification block located on the inside front cover of a Position Task Book. 

A procedural guide which describes fire meteorological services provided within the Geographic Area of responsibility, including the National Interagency Fire Center. The guide is based on the National Interagency Agreement and applicable Geographic Area Memorandum of Agreement. 

North, south, east, west; used for giving directions and information from the ground or air in describing the fire (e.g., the west flank or east flank, not right flank or left flank).

Facilities Unit staff set up, maintain, and demobilize all facilities used in support of incident operations. This staff provides facility maintenance and law enforcement/security services needed for incident support. Facilities Unit staff set up the Incident Command Post (ICP), Incident Base, and camps (including trailers or other forms of shelter in and around the incident area) and ensure the maintenance of those facilities. This unit’s staff provide and maintain personnel support facilities, including areas for eating, sleeping, sanitation and showers, and staging. Staff in this unit order additional support items such as portable toilets, shower facilities, and lighting units through the Supply Unit.

Systematic process to comprehend the nature of risk, express and evaluate risk, with the available knowledge.

An extremely dense surface fog (water droplets suspended in the atmosphere) at the site of combustion that reduces visibility to less than three meters (ten feet).

The mass of particulate matter produced per unit mass of fuel consumed (pounds per ton, grams per kilogram).

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.

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

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.

According to the American Meteorological Society, the layer of air near a boundary that is affected by friction against that boundary surface, and possibly by transport of heat and other variables across that surface.

According to the American Meteorological Society, the average temperature of the air as indicated by a properly exposed thermometer during a given time period, usually a day, a month, or a year.

The hours of a day (a daily tour-of-duty) and the days of an administrative workweek (a weekly tour-of-duty) that constitutes an employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek.

Of, or pertaining to, measurement by weight.

Management of wildfire or prescribed fire to meet resource objectives specified in land/resource management plans.