NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

An ignition that occurs as the result of concave glass or reflective materials focusing sunlight creating intense heat.

Above Unit in hierarchy, Relates to Department, Agencies

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

Visibility impairment caused by the cumulative air pollutant emissions from numerous sources over a wide geographic area.

Includes any individual hired under authorities other than the AD Pay Plan for Emergency Workers. Federal general schedule and federal wage system employees are included in this category.

Efforts undertaken within three years of a wildland fire to repair or improve fire damaged lands unlikely to recover to a management approved conditions or to repair or replace minor facilities damaged by fire.

Re-ignition due to latent heat, sparks, or embers or due to presence of smoke or steam.

An NDVI-derived image of vegetation greenness compared to how green it has been historically.

The ratio of the amount of moisture in the air, to the maximum amount of moisture that air would contain if it were saturated. The ratio of the actual vapor pressure to the saturated vapor pressure.

Use of two or more fire pumps to move water a distance which would require excessive pressures in order to overcome friction loss if only one pump were employed at the source.

A tank, usually collapsible, used as a reservoir in the relay of water from one fire pump to another.

The order that defines when personnel and/or equipment will be ready for release from an incident.

A resource on a filled request has been released, but the demobilization travel has not started.

The right data for the intended purpose.

A pressure-controlled device which bypasses water at a fire pump to prevent excessive pressures when a nozzle is shut down.

An airfield where airtankers are reloaded but not permanently stationed.

A weather station that transmits weather observations via GOES satellite to the Wildland Fire Management Information system.

Synchronous distance learning where students participate individually or with small groups of other students at the same physical location. Qualified instructors are not physically present with each student/group.

Comments on the suppression repair for each feature.

Status of the Suppression Repair project for each feature.

A radio signal station that automatically relays a radio transmission, sometimes over a different frequency, thereby increasing the range of transmission. Repeaters are often named for the mountaintops or peaks where they are installed.

Elapsed time from fire discovery until the first personnel charged with initiating action for fire suppression are notified of its existence and location.

Any wildfire that requires fire suppression to protect natural resources or values associated with natural resources, or is destructive to natural resources.

Location or facilities where incoming resources can check-in at the incident. Check-in locations include: incident command post (resources unit), incident base, camps, staging areas, helibases, helispots, and direct to the line. Check-in at one location only. 

The entity submitting a given incident report.

A scale that expresses the ratio of the map distance to the ground distance in 'SAME' units of measurements. It is usually written as a fraction or ratio.

As resources are ordered to respond to an incident, Request Numbers (occasionally referred to as a resource order number) are issued. The order number includes the incident number, an alpha character (S = Supplies, E = Equipment, O = Overhead, A = Aircraft, C = Crews, M = Agency Provided Medical Care) followed by a sequential number.

Documented, satisfactory performance in a specified position needed to qualify for another (usually higher level) position. Required experience cannot be challenged.

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. 

Saving a life from fire or accident; removing a victim from an untenable or unhealthy atmosphere.

A cable winching device permanently mounted to the helicopter that is capable of lowering/raising persons attached to the cable.

Any staffed ground vehicle capable of providing medical services.

Any staffed ground vehicle capable of providing emergency medical care and staffed with appropriate number of trained personnel and equipment for that incident.

In wildland fire suppression terminology resources not assigned to a specific task, but available for assignment.

The resource has been assigned to a request but has not started travel. Either no travel has been assigned, or if travel has been assigned, the ETD has not yet passed.

The time, in seconds, required for the flaming front of a fire to pass a stationary point at the surface of the fuel. The total length of time that the flaming front of the fire occupies one point.

The total number of residences destroyed, or damaged to an extent requiring rebuilding, as a result of the fire. Residence is defined as a place where one lives; a house, apartment, or other shelter used as the residence of a person, family or household. This includes primary and secondary residences.

The total number of residences threatened by the fire. Residence is defined as a place where one lives; a house, apartment, or other shelter used as the residence of a person, family or household. This includes primary and secondary residences. Residences are threatened if they are at risk of loss or damage, or endangered during the course of the fire. This includes, but is not limited to, residences subject to mandatory evacuation.

A wildfire resulting from sparks or embers escaping from an appliance and igniting nearby materials.

The smoldering zone behind the zone of an advancing fire front.

Smoke produced by smoldering material. The flux of smoke originating well after the active flaming combustion period with little or no vertical buoyancy and, therefore, most susceptible to subsidence inversions and down-valley flows.

In general, the ability of a system (ecological or human) to resist damage and recover from a disturbance. In ecology, resilience refers to the ability of the system to return to the pre-disturbed state with no assessment of whether that state is desirable or not. From a social perspective, resilience references the ability to return to the original state but also refers to the ability to recover to a state more likely to resist or recover quickly from future disturbances.

At a general level used to refer to the ability of a system (ecological or human) to resist damage and recover from a disturbance. In ecology, resiliency tends to refer to the ability of the system to return to the pre disturbance state with no assessment of whether that state is desirable or not. From a social perspective, resilience may reference ability to return to the original state but also can refer to the ability to recover to a state more likely to resist or recover quickly from future disturbance.

The relative difficulty of constructing and holding a control line as affected by resistance to line construction and by fire behavior.

The relative difficulty of constructing control line as determined by the fuel, topography, and soil.

The ability of the wildland fire program to respond to current and anticipated workload needs for the area of concern.

The competency level in which the overhead resource is qualified to perform a position. May also be used to define how the resource performed on a specific incident. In both cases the capacity is defined as “trainee” or “qualified”.

The form used by dispatchers, service personnel, and logistics coordinators to document the request, ordering or release of resources, and the tracking of those resources on an incident.

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.