NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Condition in which obscuring phenomenon restricts horizontal visibility to six statute miles (10 km.) or less.

Specific descriptor of aviation obstruction identified on a map.

The front that is formed when and where a cold front overtakes a warm front or a stationary front.

A number in the National Fire Danger Rating System related to potential fire incidence within a protection unit.

Any motorized vehicle designed for, or capable of, cross-country travel on or immediately over land, water, sand, snow, ice, marsh, swampland, or other terrain.

Non-compensable time, e.g., eating, sleeping or other activities of a personal nature.

Work performed by an individual employee in support of an incident while remaining at the employee’s duty station or other designated off-site location.

The ICS title for a member of the Command Staff authorized to make decisions and take action related to his/her area of responsibility.

The following categories of personnel are official passengers: Officers and employees of the federal government traveling on official business. Members of Congress and employees of congressional committee staffs whose work relates to the agency’s programs. Non-federal passengers when engaged in missions which enhance accomplishment of an agency program such as personnel of cooperating state, county, or local agencies; representatives of foreign governments; and contractors’ representatives to include those employed by such agencies; and private citizens.

The Mobile Geodatabase (GDB) is created when the user runs the Download Map function. This is a copy of the National Incident Feature Services (NIFS) data that can be edited and synchronized. Sync works both ways and an Offline Copy can be synced multiple times; the Offline Copy should always be synchronized before an edit session (to pull down new data) and after an edit session (to push up new edits).

Note that this is not the same GDB used for map creation.

Wind blowing from land to water.

Materials such as fabric or cardboard containing oil or oil-based products that generate internal heat resulting in an ignition.

The process of exploration, extraction, refining, and transportation of petroleum products. 

An investor-owned utility (IOU) is a private enterprise that acts as a public utility. A publicaly owned utility company, also known as a public power utility, is a community-owned, not-for-profit oil and/or gas utility.

A natural plant product (as copaiba or turpentine) containing chiefly essential oil and resin.

Status of a federal casual or federal regular government employee used for timekeeping purposes. An employee will be considered off duty and time spent in an on-call status shall not be considered hours of work if: 1) The employee is allowed to leave a telephone number or to carry an electronic device for the purpose of being contacted, even though the employee is required to remain within a reasonable call-back radius; or 2) The employee is allowed to make arrangements such that any work which may arise during the on-call period will be performed by another person. (Reference 5 CFR 551.431(b) (1-2)). Specific state pay guidelines for non-pay status shall apply for state employees.

Time of actual work, ordered standby, or compensable travel with a specific start and ending time.

Training that is conducted in actual work environments. This is accomplished under the guidance of an Evaluator/trainer who uses the Position Task Book and Position Standards to document performance.

An event dealing with a person's experience and proficiency while performing assigned duties while performing a job.

A progressive system of building a fireline on a wildfire without changing relative positions in the line. Each worker does one to several "licks", or strokes, with a given tool and then moves forward a specified distance to make room for the worker behind.

Moisture content of one-hour timelag fuels.

Fuels consisting of dead herbaceous plants and roundwood less than about one-fourth inch (6.4 mm) in diameter. Also included is the uppermost layer of needles or leaves on the forest floor.

The moisture content of the 100-hour timelag fuels.

Dead fuels consisting of roundwood in the size range of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) in diameter and very roughly the layer of litter extending from approximately three-fourths of an inch (1.9 cm) to 4 inches (10 cm) below the surface.

100-hour pump test performed at 85% of maximum hydraulic units corrected to sea level for qualification under applicable USDA Forest Service specification.

The moisture content of the 1,000-hour timelag fuels.

Dead fuels consisting of roundwood 3-8 inches in diameter and the layer of the forest floor more than about 4 inches below the surface.

This term is commonly used to describe any training that employs the internet as a medium of instruction. There are other instances when the term is used to refer specifically to asynchronous Self-Directed (Online) training.

Wind blowing from water to land.

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

Refers to open fire front where no line has been constructed.

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

The pressure at which a system is operating.

For helicopters, the equipped weight plus weight of the crew and fuel.

The exercise of authority over initiating, conducting, or terminating any operation. Often associated with aviation operations.

The CURRENT common operational reference to a Resource, the name of the resource and/or call sign. This value will be updated for equipment, crews, modules, and teams based on how the resource is currently being utilized through a filled request.

The time scheduled for executing a given set of operation actions, as specified in the IAP. Operational periods can be of various lengths, but are typically 12 to 24 hours.

The state of a resource as it is utilized by an incident. 

The speed and intensity of actions relative to the speed and intensity of the unfolding events in the operational environment.

An area over an incident, whether within an FTA or TFR, where aviation operations are taking place.

Primary facility of the Multi-agency Coordination System (MACS); houses staff and equipment necessary to perform the MACS function.

The ICS Section responsible for implementing tactical incident operations described in the IAP. In ICS, the Operations Section may include subordinate branches, divisions, and/or groups.

A circular holding pattern of an aircraft around a fixed location often related to a wildland fire. For example, the circular pattern of an airtanker in the vicinity of a wildland fire, waiting to make a retardant drop.

An employee is on duty, and time spent on standby duty is hours of work if, for work-related reasons, the employee is restricted by official order to a designated post of duty and is assigned to be in a state of readiness to perform work with limitations on the employee’s activities so substantial the employee cannot use the time effectively for his or her own purposes. A finding that an employee’s activities are substantially limited may not be based on the fact that an employee is subject to restrictions necessary to ensure that the employee will be able to perform his or her duties and responsibilities, such as restrictions on alcohol consumption or use of certain medications (5 CFR 551.431(a) (1)).

That fraction of the soil that includes plant and animal residues at various stages of decomposition, cells and tissues of soil organisms, and substances synthesized by the soil population.

Any soil or soil horizon containing at least 30% organic matter (e.g., muck, peat).

The recommended organization for the incident based on analysis.

The organizational element having responsibility within a functional area in the incident command structure such as operations, planning, logistics or finance.

Three to four alpha-numeric characters specific to a unit existing within the agency’s official organizational structure. The organizational unit code identifies the unit within the interagency incident management community in a common manner.