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NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Term Steward Status Definition
mildew treatment MFES Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee Approved The chemical treatment on a hose jacket to resist organic growth that would deteriorate the hose jacket fibers.
Military Operations Area (MOA) AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved Military Operations Area found on aeronautical charts.
military time IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived The 24-hour clock system where midnight is 2400, one minute after midnight is 0001 and progresses to 2400 daily.
millibar IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A unit of pressure equal to a force of 1,000 dynes per square centimeter. (A dyne is the force that would give a free mass of one gram an acceleration of one centimeter per second per second).
mineral ash FASC Fire Analysis Subcommittee Approved The residue of mineral matter left after complete combustion of wood (wood ash) or other organic material; consists largely of oxides, carbonates, and phosphates of Ca, K and Mg, together with other compounds.
mineral soil FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Soil layers below the predominantly organic horizons; soil with little combustible material.
minimum cost suppression alternative FBC Finance/Business Management Committee Approved The alternative that achieves incident objectives, consistent with priority for firefighter and public safety, and is least expensive when considering expected costs for fire suppression and emergency stabilization and/or rehabilitation.
minimum dry bulb temperature FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved The lowest value for dry bulb temperature measured at the observation site during the preceding 24-hour period.
Minimum Impact Strategy and Tactics (MIST) IFPC Interagency Fire Planning Committee Approved The application of strategy and tactics that effectively meet suppression and resource objectives with the least environmental, cultural and social impacts
minimum relative humidity FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved The lowest value for relative humidity measured at the observation site during the preceding 24-hour period.
miscellaneous fire FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved Fire of known cause that cannot be properly classified into any of the eight standard causes of fires.
missing aircraft ARMS Aviation Risk Management Subcommittee Approved The aircraft is “missing” when the fuel duration, as reported on the request for flight following, or as reported on the FAA flight plan, has been exceeded and the aircraft location is unknown. It can also be considered missing when it has been reported to the FAA as being “overdue” and the FAA has completed an administrative search for the aircraft without success.
mission assignment QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved A work order issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to a federal agency, directing completion of a specified task, and setting forth funding, other managerial controls and guidance. Mission Assignments (MA) are implemented utilizing assigned federal agency's existing authorities and resources which may be compensable or non-compensable.
mitigation FMB Fire Management Board Approved Modifying the environment or human behavior to reduce potential adverse impacts of from a natural hazard.
mitigation actions IFPC Interagency Fire Planning Committee Approved Actions that are implemented to reduce or eliminate (mitigate) risks to persons, property or natural resources. These actions can be undertaken before and during a wildfire. Before a fire actions can include fuel treatments, creation of fuel breaks or barriers around critical or sensitive sites or resources, and vegetation modification and structural changes to increase the chance a structure will survive a wildfire with or without active protection (sometimes referred to as defensible space or the home ignition zone). Mitigation actions can also occur during response and can include mechanical and physical tasks, specific fire applications, and limited suppression actions. Such as fireline construction, and creating 'black lines' through the use of controlled burnouts to limit fire spread and behavior.
mix ratio ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved The ratio of liquid foam concentrate to water, usually expressed as a percent.
mixing IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A random exchange of air parcels on any scale from the molecular to the largest eddy.
mixing chamber ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved A tube, constructed with deflectors or baffles, that mixes foam solution and air to produce tiny, uniform bubbles in a short distance (1 to 2 ft).
mixing height IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Measured from the surface upward, the height to which relatively vigorous mixing occurs due to convection.
mixing layer IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved That portion of the atmosphere from the surface up to the mixing height. This is the layer of air, usually below a stable layer, within which pollutants are mixed by turbulence and diffusion.
mixmaster AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved The person in charge of fire retardant mixing operations with responsibility for quantity and quality of the slurry and for the loading of aircraft.
mob en route DCSC Dispatch Coordination Subcommittee Pending The resource is assigned to an incident and travel has started, but the resource has not yet arrived at the incident. This is the time between ETD and ETA.
mobile radio IMC Integration Management Committee, DCSC Dispatch Coordination Subcommittee Approved A two way radio unit on mobile apparatus (instead of base stations), usually semi-permanently attached to the apparatus.
mobile weather unit forecast (fire) IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A special fire weather forecast for a specific fire prepared by a meteorologist on site at or near the fire area.
mobile weather unit forecast (incident) IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A special weather forecast for a specific incident prepared by a meteorologist on site at or near the incident area.
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