Skip to main content

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Term Steward Status Definition
longline AMC Aviation Management Committee, ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved 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.
lookout (crew member) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved A fire crew member assigned to observe the fire and warn the crew when there is danger of becoming trapped.
lookout (fire) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved A person designated to detect and report fires from a vantage point.
lookout (location) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved A location from which fires can be detected and reported.
lookout dispatcher IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived Person combining the functions of lookout and dispatcher.
lookout firefighter IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived Person combining the functions of lookout and firefighter.
lookout patrol IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived Person who travels along ridges or other vantage points to discover, detect, report, and suppress fires.
lookout point IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived Vantage point selected for fire detection or observation.
lookout tower IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Structure that elevates a person above nearby obstructions to sight for fires; generally capped by some sort of house or cupola.
Lookout(s), Communication(s), Escape Route(s), and Safety Zone(s) (LCES) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Elements of a safety system used by fire fighters to routinely assess their current situation with respect to wildland firefighting hazards.
loose-at-fold MFES Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee Approved The process by which a tube is not bonded 360 degrees around in the jacket.
lopping FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved After felling, cutting branches, tops, and unwanted boles into lengths such that resultant logging debris will lie close to the ground.
lopping and scattering FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Lopping logging debris and spreading it more or less evenly over the ground.
lost line IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Any part of a fireline rendered useless by a breakover of the fire.
low IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved An area of relatively low atmospheric pressure in which winds tend to move in a counterclockwise direction, spiraling in toward the low's center.
low expansion ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved Foam with an expansion between 1:1 and 20:1.
macroclimate IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved General large-scale climate of a large area or country as distinguished from smaller scale mesoclimate and microclimate.
macroscale fire pattern indicator FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved Large single fire pattern indicator or overall patterns of indicators that are readily visible from a distance.
magnetic bearing PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Approved Bearing by magnetic north rather than true north.
magnetic north PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Approved The direction toward which a magnetic needle of a compass points.
main ridge IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Prominent ridgeline separating river or creek drainages. Usually has numerous smaller ridges (spur) extending outward from both sides.
major disaster QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Archived Any natural catastrophe or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance.
major repair (aviation) AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved A repair (1) that, if improperly done, might appreciably affect weight, balance, structural strength, or other qualities affecting airworthiness or (2) that is not done according to accepted practices or cannot be done by elementary operations.
male coupling ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved An externally threaded hose nipple which fits in the thread of a female (internally threaded) swivel coupling of the same pitch and diameter. Nozzles attach to this type of coupling.
management action points FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Geographic points on the ground or specific points in time where an escalation or alternative of management actions is warranted. These points are defined and the management actions to be taken are clearly described in an approved Prescribed Fire Plan. Timely implementation of the actions when the fire reaches the action point is generally critical to successful accomplishment of the objectives.
Displaying 1551 - 1575 of 2700

NWCG Latest Announcements