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NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Term Steward Status Definition
mobilization QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved The processes and procedures for activating, assembling, and transporting resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.
mobilization center QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved An off-incident location at which emergency service personnel and equipment are temporarily located pending assignment, release, or reassignment.
mobilization guide IMC Integration Management Committee, DCSC Dispatch Coordination Subcommittee Approved A written description of procedures used by federal, state, and local organizations for activating, assembling, and transporting resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.
model IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A simplified or generalized representation of reality; a description, analogy, picture, or hypothesis to help visualize something that cannot be directly observed.
Model Arson Law PIC Public Information Management Committee, EPSC Education & Prevention Subcommittee Approved Model legislation, recommended by the Fire Marshals' Association of North America and adopted in most states, dealing with the subject of arson.
Model Fireworks Law FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved Model legislation recommended by the Fire Marshals' Association of North America and adopted by many states, regulating display of fireworks.
moderate (duty level) SRC Safety/Risk Management Committee Approved Moderate duty field work requires the average endurance and conditioning of an individual who possesses complete control of all their physical faculties. Occasional demands may be required for moderately strenuous activities in emergencies over long periods. The pace of work is usually set by the current environmental conditions.  Essential functions include, but are not limited to: considerable walking over irregular ground, standing for long periods, lifting 25 to 50 pounds, climbing, bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, and reaching.
modified by system IMC Integration Management Committee, DISC Data Integration Subcommittee Approved Username of system that modified the record.
modified on date time IMC Integration Management Committee, DISC Data Integration Subcommittee Approved Date/time that the record was modified.
Modular Airborne Firefighting System (MAFFS) AMC Aviation Management Committee, ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved A manufactured unit consisting of five interconnecting tanks, a control pallet, and a nozzle pallet, with a capacity of 3,000 gallons, designed to be rapidly mounted inside an unmodified C-130 (Hercules) cargo aircraft for use in cascading retardant chemicals on wildfires. 
moist adiabatic lapse rate IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Rate of decrease of temperature with increasing height of an air parcel lifted at saturation via adiabatic process through an atmosphere in hydrostatic equilibrium. Rate varies according to the amount of water vapor in the parcel and is usually between 2.0 and 5.0 degrees F per 1000 feet (3.6 and 9.2 degrees C per 1000 meters). 
moisture of extinction FASC Fire Analysis Subcommittee Approved The fuel moisture content, weighed over all the fuel classes, at which the fire will not spread.
monitor ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved A turret-type nozzle usually mounted on an engine.
monitoring FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved The orderly collection, analysis, and interpretation of environmental data to evaluate management's progress toward meeting objectives, and to identify changes in natural systems. Monitoring is also conducted on wildland fires to observe fire effects, fire behavior, or both. For example, the work done by Fire Effects Monitor (FEMO) or Field Observer (FOBS) positions.
monsoon climate IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Climate characterized by (a) a long winter-spring dry season which includes a 'cold season' followed by a short 'hot season' immediately preceding the rains, (b) a summer and early autumn rainy season which is usually very wet (but highly variable from year to year), and (c) a secondary maximum of temperature immediately after the rainy season.
mop up IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Extinguishing or removing burning material near control lines, felling snags, and trenching logs to prevent rolling after an area has burned, to make a fire safe, or to reduce residual smoke.
mop up crew IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved A portion or all of a regular fire crew assigned to mop up work after the fire or a portion of the fire has been contained or controlled.
mop up time IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Elapsed time from containment or control of a fire until mop up is complete.
mosaic FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved The intermingling of plant communities and their successional stages in such a manner as to give the impression of an interwoven design.
move up IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved System of redistributing remaining personnel and equipment following dispatch of other forces among a network of fire stations to provide the best possible response within the fire department's direct protection area in the event of additional calls for emergency assistance. 
move up method IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Progressive method of fireline construction on a wildfire without changing relative positions in the line. Work is begun with a suitable space between workers; whenever one worker overtakes another, all of those ahead move one space forward and resume work on the uncompleted part of the line. The last worker does not move ahead until work is completed in his/her space. Forward progress of the crew is coordinated by a crew boss. 
Multi-Agency Coordinating (MAC) Group QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved A group, typically consisting of agency administrators or executives from organizations, or their designees, that provides policy guidance to incident personnel, supports resource prioritization and allocation, and enables decision making among elected and appointed officials and senior executives in other organizations, as well as those directly responsible for incident management.
Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved A generalized term which describes the functions and activities of representatives of involved agencies and/or jurisdictions who come together to make decisions regarding the prioritizing of incidents, and the sharing and use of critical resources.
multi-agency incident QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved An incident where one or more agencies assist a jurisdictional agency or agencies. May be single or unified command.
Multi-Branch (MB ) incident Archived An incident of such complexity that a Multiple Branch Operations Section is activated. (Multi-Branch is not equivalent to Area Command.)
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