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NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Term Steward Status Definition
management by objectives QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved A management approach, fundamental to NIMS, that involves (1) establishing objectives, e.g., specific, measurable and realistic outcomes to be achieved; (2) identifying strategies, tactics, and tasks to achieve the objectives; (3) performing the tactics and tasks and measuring and documenting results in achieving the objectives; and (4) taking corrective action to modify strategies, tactics, and/or performance to achieve the objectives.
management complexity level designator IRSC Incident Reporting Subcommittee Approved The highest management level utilized to manage a fire event.
management requirements FMB Fire Management Board Approved The technical and scientific specifications for management activities or potential actions mandated by the agency administrator and defined in land/resource management plans. Management requirements are derived from land/resource management plan and fire management plan standards and guidelines information. 
manager contact information IMC Integration Management Committee, DCSC Dispatch Coordination Subcommittee Approved Contact information for the manager of the resource.
managers QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved Individuals within ICS organizational units that are assigned specific managerial responsibilities, e.g., staging area manager or camp manager.
manual weather station FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved A non-telemetered weather station that provides one observation every 24 hours for manual entry into WIMS.
manually regulated ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved A proportioning method or device that requires a manual adjustment to maintain a desired mix ratio over a changing range of water flows and pressures.
map PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Approved A line drawing, to some scale, of an area of the earth's surface. It shows objects and features by conventional signs.
map method GISC Geospatial Information Subcommittee Approved How the geospatial feature was derived
map scale PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Approved Indicates the ratio or proportion of the horizontal distance on the map to the corresponding horizontal distance on the ground.
marine air IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Air which has a high moisture content and the temperature characteristics of an ocean surface due to extensive exposure to that surface. An intrusion of marine air will moderate fire conditions. Absence of marine air in coastal areas may lead to more severe fire danger. 
marine climate IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Regional climate under the predominant influence of the sea, that is, a climate characterized by marine air; the opposite of a continental climate.
maritime air IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Air which has assumed high moisture content and the temperature characteristics of a water surface due to extensive exposure to that surface.
mass arsonist FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved An offender who sets three or more fires at the same location during a limited period of time.
mass fire FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved A fire resulting from many simultaneous ignitions that generates a high level of energy output.
master fire chronology FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Chronological listing of the dates of fires documented in a designated area, the dates being corrected by crossdating. Size of the area must be specified.
Master Incident Geodatabase (GDB) GISC Geospatial Information Subcommittee Approved The most current GDB named per GeoOps standards ({year}_{incident name}_{unit ID + local incident ID}) and placed in the incident_data folder to be used as the source for all incident maps. This GDB should not be edited.
Master Project GISC Geospatial Information Subcommittee Approved The current ArcGIS Pro project (.aprx) for each map project. Master Projects can contain multiple layouts for the same map view, but each should be for only a single project type (e.g., All division maps in one project or multiple sizes of the PIO map in one project). Daily backups should be made of each Master Project.
material first ignited FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved The fuel that is first set on fire by the heat of ignition.
mathematical model IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A model that is a quantitative and mathematical representation or simulation which attempts to describe the characteristics or relationship of physical events.
mattock ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved Hand tool with a narrow hoeing surface at one end of the blade and a pick or cutting blade at the other end; used for digging and grubbing.
maximum certified gross weight AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved Absolute maximum allowable gross weight for an aircraft as established by the manufacturer and approved by the FAA.
maximum computed gross weight AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved Computed gross weight for an aircraft, obtained from the appropriate performance chart, which is the maximum gross weight appropriate to the applicable circumstance of configuration and/or environmental conditions.
maximum dry bulb temperature FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved The highest value for dry bulb temperature measured at the observation site during the preceding 24-hour period.
maximum hydraulic units MFES Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee Approved Unit of measure in testing of a pump. The highest value obtained when multiplying pressure by flow of a performance curve of a pump.
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