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NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Term Steward Status Definition
scope of practice (EMS) EMSC Emergency Medical Subcommittee Approved A predefined set of skills, interventions or other activities that an EMS professional is legally authorized to perform when necessary, usually set by state law or regulation and local medical direction.
scorch height FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Average heights of foliage browning or bole blackening caused by a fire.
scratch line IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved An unfinished preliminary control line hastily established or constructed as an emergency measure to check the spread of fire.
scrubbing ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved The process of agitating foam solution and air within a confined space (usually a hose) that produces tiny, uniform bubbles - the length and type of hose determine the amount of scrubbing and, therefore, foam quality.
sea breeze IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A breeze (wind) blowing inland from the sea generally during daytime hours.
sea-level pressure IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Pressure value obtained by the theoretical reduction or increase of station pressure to sea level. The average atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7 psi.
season code FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved One of four designations of seasonal plant development used in the 1988 version of NFDRS.
seasonal monthly average IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Historically, the average number of human-caused fires occurring on a protection unit per month during the established fire season.
seasonal risk class FISC Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved Objective ranking of protection units within an administrative group based on the number of human-caused fires for at least the past five years.
Second Order Fire Effects (SOFE) FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved The secondary effects of fire such as tree regeneration, plant succession, and changes in site productivity. Although second order fire effects are dependent, in part, on first order fire effects, they also involve interaction with many other non-fire variables. 
second-degree burn SRC Safety/Risk Management Committee Approved A burn in which the skin is blistered.
second-in-command AMC Aviation Management Committee Approved Pilot who is designated to be second-in-command of an aircraft during flight time.
secondary line IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved Any fireline constructed at a distance from the fire perimeter concurrently with or after a line already constructed on or near to the perimeter of the fire. Generally constructed as an insurance measure in case the fire escapes control by the primary line. 
secondary lookout (location) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved A lookout point intermittently used to supplement the visible area coverage of the primary lookout system when required by fire danger, poor visibility, or other factors.
secondary lookout (person) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved The person who occupies such a station.
secondary phone IMC Integration Management Committee, DISC Data Integration Subcommittee Approved Individual’s secondary phone.
secondary weather station IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved Station at which minimum weather measurements are taken to compute ratings of burning conditions; provides supplementary information on weather experience.
section QMC Qualifications Management Committee, NISC NIMS Integration Subcommittee Approved The ICS organizational level having responsibility for a major functional area of incident management (e.g., Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration).
section area PMC Fire Planning Management Committee, QMC Qualifications Management Committee, QSSC Qualifications Systems Subcommittee, LMC Logistic and Equipment Management Committee Approved An area of land one mile square and containing 640 acres, more or less, which is one of 36 parts of a township.
security weather watch IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived Observers are posted at one or more strategic locations in the proximity of a fire to detect and warn fire personnel of pending critical weather changes that might significantly affect the fire.
segment IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved A geographical area in which a task force/strike team leader or supervisor of a single resource is assigned authority and responsibility for the coordination of resources and implementation of planned tactics. A segment may be a portion of a division or an area inside or outside the perimeter of an incident. Segments are identified with Arabic numbers, i.e., A-1, etc. and are not to be used as radio designators. 
selection area IMC Integration Management Committee, DCSC Dispatch Coordination Subcommittee Approved Indicates the dispatch center inside/outside the current dispatch center for which resources are being requested.
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) SRC Safety/Risk Management Committee Approved Portable air (not oxygen) tanks with regulators which allow firefighters to breathe while in toxic smoke conditions. Usually rated for 30 minutes of service. Used primarily on fires involving structures or hazardous materials.
self-directed (online) QMC Qualifications Management Committee, TDSC Training Delivery Subcommittee Approved Training (usually online) that is self-directed by the student. Asynchronous learning activities that the learner accesses using a web browser. The learner manages the timing of content delivery. A key characteristic is that in addition to reading or watching content, the learner interacts with the content. For example, knowledge checks may periodically be presented as part of the training delivery to assess the learners understanding of concepts. This type of training is often referred to in other terms, such as Web -Based training, e-learning, on-demand learning, or self-paced learning.
separation (aircraft) ASSC Aerial Supervision Subcommittee Approved The horizontal and vertical spacing of aircraft working over or near a wildfire or other incident.
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