NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

The NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire provides an extensive listing of approved terms and definitions used by the NWCG community. It contains terms commonly used by NWCG in the areas of wildland fire and incident management and is not intended to list all terms used by NWCG groups and member agencies. The NWCG has directed that all committee and subgroup product glossaries be contained within the NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire to maintain definition consistency and clarity among documents.

Within this guide, users and committees can find instructions on the glossary process; tips for viewing the glossary on the NWCG website; guidance for committees and subcommittees assigned ownership of glossary terms, including how to request, develop, and revise a glossary entry; technical requirements for complete glossary entries; and a list of contacts for support.

The NWCG User Guide for Glossary of Wildland Fire is developed and maintained by the Data Standards and Terminology Board (DSTB), under the direction of the Data Management Committee (DMC), an entity of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG).

Prior to 2021, this information was contained in the NWCG User Guide for Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 937. While they may contain current or useful information, previous editions are obsolete. The user of this information is responsible for confirming that they have the most up-to-date version. NWCG is the sole source for the publication.

Comments, questions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the appropriate agency program manager assigned to the DSTB. View the complete roster.

About the NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

TopBraid Explorer is a database platform used for managing and displaying the terms found in the NWCG Glossary. Ultimately, this database will populate the NWCG website directly. In the meantime, users will access the database directly in EDG Explorer. A login is not required. See the Quick Steps below for details on accessing the Glossary through EDG Explorer.

Stewards manage terms via a different portal; those instructions are found in the NWCG User Guide for the Glossary of Wildland Fire.

NWCG Glossary Login Quick Steps

1. Go to the log in screen for the NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205, in EDG Explorer.
2. A user login is not required.
3. Click the blue button labeled ENTER EXPLORER to go directly to the homepage for the Glossary.
   
   
   

How to Find a Glossary Term

1. The left tab lists all the terms. The default view limits the load to 1,000 terms, but the glossary has well over 2,000. In order to narrow down to a specific term, begin typing in the Text Filter below label.
   
2. Upon clicking on a term, a user is presented with the term details on the right tab.
   
3. Any property with blue content contains additional information. Click on the down arrow next to the blue text and select Show Details to open the details. Alternatively, click directly on the blue text to open the full content in the panel. Hover over a field name (aka, property in EDG-speak) for a definition of the type of value collected. 
   
   
4. There are saved searches available for users to select from. To add the Search Library, open the Panels button and select Search Library.
   
5. Select the line with the search you are interested in and click the play button. The list of terms will adjust accordingly.