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NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Term Steward Status Definition
leader QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved The ICS title for an individual who is responsible for supervision of a unit, strike team, resource team, or task force.
leaders intent QMC Qualifications Management Committee, LTSC Leadership Training Subcommittee, LDSC Leadership Development Subcommitte Approved A concise statement that outlines what individuals must know in order to be successful for a given assignment. The intent communicates three essential pieces of information: Task - What is the goal or objective Purpose - Why it is to be done End state - How it should look when successfully completed
leadership QMC Qualifications Management Committee, LTSC Leadership Training Subcommittee, LDSC Leadership Development Subcommitte Approved The art of providing purpose, direction, and motivation to a group of people in order to accomplish a mission and improve the organization. Leaders provide purpose by clearly communicating their intent and describing the desired end state of an assignment to their followers. Leaders provide direction by maintaining standards of performance for their followers. Leaders provide motivation by setting the example for their followers.
leadplane AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved Aircraft with pilot used to make trial runs over the target area to check wind, smoke conditions, topography and to lead airtankers to targets and supervise their drops.
leakage rate MFES Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee Approved The amount of water seeping through a sample hose (unlined) in a special trough in a given time period.
leapfrog method IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved A system of organizing workers in fire suppression in which each crew member is assigned a specific task such as clearing or digging fireline on a specific section of control line, and when that task is completed, passes other workers in moving to a new assignment. 
Learning Content Management System (LCMS) PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Archived Any system that keeps learner information, can launch and communicate with SCOs, and can interpret instructions that tell it which SCO comes next.
Learning Management System (LMS) QMC Qualifications Management Committee, TDSC Training Delivery Subcommittee Approved A learning management system (LMS) is a computer-based operating system used by training organizations to register, track and monitor activity in the training function. LMSs have evolved from earlier systems to now include course and student monitoring, resource management, assessments, completion rates and more.
learning objective PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Archived A description of the intended outcome of a training class, program, or evolution. The learning objective identifies the condition, the task, and the standard to which the student much achieve.
learning objects PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Archived Reusable learning objects represent an alternative approach to content development. In this approach, content is broken down into chunks. From a pedagogical perspective, each chunk might play a specific role within an instructional design methodology. Such chunks are called learning objects. There is no standard for the size (or granularity) of a learning object. Larger learning objects are typically harder to reuse, and smaller learner objects save less work for those who reuse them. Normally the happy medium has been estimated as between five and fifteen minutes of learning material. The requirements for each chunk are: Each chunk must be able to communicate with learning systems using a standardized method that does not depend on the system. What happens within a chunk is the chunk's business. How a learner moves between chunks is controlled by the learning system. Each chunk must have a description (metadata tag) that enables designers to search for and find the right chunk for the right job.
legend PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Approved A key accompanying a map which shows information needed to interpret that map. Each type of map has information represented in a different way relating to its subject matter. The legend can explain map scales, symbols and color.
legitimate smoke FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Smoke from any authorized use of fire (e.g., locomotive, industrial operations, permitted debris burning).
level of certainty FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved Describes how strongly a fire investigator holds an opinion or conclusion, includes two levels, Possible and Probable.
level of service IFPC Interagency Fire Planning Committee Approved Amount of fire prevention and fire suppression supplied; may be expressed several ways (e.g., percent of people or buildings protected, area protected, dollar value of property protected, firefighters per capita, water flow capability).
license plate number ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved The vehicle’s license plate number for purposes of identifying equipment.
licensed physician EMSC Emergency Medical Subcommittee Approved A physician licensed by a state Board of Medicine to practice medicine or surgery in that state.
licensure EMSC Emergency Medical Subcommittee Approved The permission granted by a state as a property right to an individual to practice a profession.
life-safety SRC Safety/Risk Management Committee Approved Refers to the joint consideration of both the life and physical well-being of individuals.
lifting processes IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Any of the processes that lead to upward vertical motion in the atmosphere. These processes may include low level convergence, heating or thermal convection, orographic lifting over the mountains, and frontal lifting.
light (duty level) SRC Safety/Risk Management Committee Approved Light duty mainly involves office-type work with occasional field activity characterized by light physical exertion requiring basic good health. Individuals almost always can govern the extent and pace of their physical activity. Essential functions include, but are not limited to: climbing stairs, standing, operating a vehicle, and long hours of work, as well as some bending, stooping, or light lifting.
light (fine) fuels FASC Fire Analysis Subcommittee Approved Fast-drying fuels, generally with a comparatively high surface area-to-volume ratio, which are less than 1/4-inch in diameter and have a timelag of 1 hour or less. These fuels readily ignite and are rapidly consumed by fire when dry.
light wind IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Wind speed less than 7 mph (6 knots) measured at 20 feet above ground. At eye level, light winds are less than 3 mph (3 knots).
lighting (aviation obstruction) AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved Indicates if the aviation obstacle is lighted.
Lightning Activity Level (LAL) FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved A number, on a scale of 1 to 6, which reflects frequency and character of cloud-to-ground lightning (forecasted or observed). The scale for 1 to 5 is exponential, based on powers of 2 (i.e., LAL 3 indicates twice the lightning of LAL 2). LAL 6 is a special category for dry lightning and is closely equivalent to LAL 3 in strike frequency. 
lightning fire IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee, FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved Wildfire caused directly or indirectly by lightning.
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