NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

The top layer of forest floor, composed of loose debris of dead sticks, branches, twigs, and recently fallen leaves or needles; little altered in structure by decomposition.

Insignificant change in wind speed, direction, and temperature (less than 5 degrees) and relative humidity (less than five percent), respectively. When used as a general statement in a long-range forecast, all four criteria apply.

Ratio of the amount of water to the amount of dry plant material in living plants.

Living plants, such as trees, grasses, and shrubs, in which the seasonal moisture content cycle is controlled largely by internal physiological mechanisms, rather than by external weather influences.

Ratio of the amount of water to the amount of dry plant material in herbaceous plants (i.e., grasses and forbs).

Hose line filled with water under pressure and ready to use.

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

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

Ratio of the amount of water to the amount of dry plant material in shrubs.

An order given to the airtanker pilot to pick up another load of retardant or water and hold at the reload base. The tanker is still committed to the fire.

Order given to the airtanker pilot to pick up another load of fire retardant or water and return to the fire.

An agency form used to calculate helicopter allowable payload.

Concrete pad at a retardant base on which aircraft stand when being loaded.

Individual responsible to the Deck Coordinator for the manifesting, loading and unloading of personnel, equipment and cargo.

Any agency having jurisdictional responsibility for all or part of an incident.

Day/Month/Year officially accepted by the local manager as meeting all local requirements to receive funds in the planned year.

A number or code that uniquely identifies an incident report for a particular reporting unit and a particular calendar year.

User entered ID for Treatment or Activity

A number or code that uniquely identifies an incident for a particular local fire management organization within a particular calendar year.

Resources within a dispatch center's area of responsibility.

Lands on which neither the state nor the federal government has any legal responsibility for providing fire protection.

Winds which are generated over a comparatively small area by local terrain and weather. They differ from those which would be appropriate to the general pressure pattern.

The date/time for the resource’s last known position.

The process of harvesting, transporting and processing trees for commercial purposes or forest health.

Unwanted tree parts (crowns, logs, uprooted stumps) remaining after harvest.

The process of harvesting, transporting and processing trees for commercial purposes.

The ICS section responsible for providing facilities, services, and supplies in support of an incident and personnel well being. The logistics section may include units and branches.

Fire weather forecast for a period greater than five days in advance.

Large glowing firebrands are carried high into the convection column and then fall out downwind beyond the main fire starting new fires. Such spotting can easily occur 1/4 mile or more from the firebrand's source.

The results of those factors in fire danger affecting long-term planning; involves consideration of past records and conditions and probable future trends.

Areas in the fire where fuel accumulations, heavy fuels, or higher fuel moisture content cause the fire to burn for an extended period of time.

Chemical that inhibits combustion primarily through chemical reactions between products of combustion and the applied chemicals, even after the water component has evaporated. Other chemical effects also may be achieved, such as film-forming and intumescence. 

The center point of the treatment or activity indicated using the angular distance west of the meridian at Greenwich, England.
• Decimal degrees (e.g. 43.618881)
• Datum of NAD83

The angular distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in units of decimal degrees.

The longitude location of the wildland fire location point specified in decimal degrees.

Longitdue in degrees, decimal minutes WGS84 fore labeling purposes.

The location coordinate for the longitude value corresponding to the initial reported point of origin specified in decimal degrees.

The longitude location of the point of origin specified in decimal degrees. Point of origin is the location where a competent ignition source came into contact with the material first ignited and sustained combustion occurred.

Longitude format for labeling and display.

A line or set of lines, usually in 50' increments, used in external load operations that allow the helicopter to place loads in areas in which the helicopter could not safely land.

A fire crew member assigned to observe the fire and warn the crew when there is danger of becoming trapped.

A person designated to detect and report fires from a vantage point.

A location from which fires can be detected and reported.

Person combining the functions of lookout and dispatcher.

Person combining the functions of lookout and firefighter.

Person who travels along ridges or other vantage points to discover, detect, report, and suppress fires.

Vantage point selected for fire detection or observation.

Structure that elevates a person above nearby obstructions to sight for fires; generally capped by some sort of house or cupola.

Elements of a safety system used by fire fighters to routinely assess their current situation with respect to wildland firefighting hazards.