NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Overview

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.

Comments, questions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the appropriate agency program manager assigned to the Data Standards and Terminology Board (DSTB).

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205 (Quick View)

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Term	Steward	Status	Definition
Operations Area	NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee	Pending New	An area over an incident, whether within an FTA or TFR, where aviation operations are taking place.
Operations Coordination Center (OCC)	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Approved	Primary facility of the Multi-agency Coordination System (MACS); houses staff and equipment necessary to perform the MACS function.
Operations Section	NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee	Approved	The ICS Section responsible for implementing tactical incident operations described in the IAP. In ICS, the Operations Section may include subordinate branches, divisions, and/or groups.
orbit	IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee	Approved	A circular holding pattern of an aircraft around a fixed location often related to a wildland fire. For example, the circular pattern of an airtanker in the vicinity of a wildland fire, waiting to make a retardant drop.
ordered standby	IBC Incident Business Committee	Approved	An employee is on duty, and time spent on standby duty is hours of work if, for work-related reasons, the employee is restricted by official order to a designated post of duty and is assigned to be in a state of readiness to perform work with limitations on the employee&rsquo;s activities so substantial the employee cannot use the time effectively for his or her own purposes. A finding that an employee&rsquo;s activities are substantially limited may not be based on the fact that an employee is subject to restrictions necessary to ensure that the employee will be able to perform his or her duties and responsibilities, such as restrictions on alcohol consumption or use of certain medications (5 CFR 551.431(a) (1)).
organic matter	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	That fraction of the soil that includes plant and animal residues at various stages of decomposition, cells and tissues of soil organisms, and substances synthesized by the soil population.
organic soil	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	Any soil or soil horizon containing at least 30% organic matter (e.g., muck, peat).
organization assessment	IFPC Interagency Fire Planning Committee	Grandfathered	The recommended organization for the incident based on analysis.
organization unit	NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee	Approved	The organizational element having responsibility within a functional area in the incident command structure such as operations, planning, logistics or finance.
organizational unit code	UIB Unit Identifier Board	Approved	Three to four alpha-numeric characters specific to a unit existing within the agency&rsquo;s official organizational structure. The organizational unit code identifies the unit within the interagency incident management community in a common manner.
organizational unit name	UIB Unit Identifier Board	Approved	The full name of the organization found on official documents or web sites.
organizational unit type	UIB Unit Identifier Board	Approved	The type of organizational unit within the interagency incident management community represented by the Unit ID.
origin and/or cause not identified	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
origin destroyed	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
orographic	FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee	Approved	Pertaining to, or caused by mountains.
orthophoto	GSC Geospatial Subcommittee	Approved	Photograph obtained from the orthogonal (i.e., horizontal) projection of a correctly oriented stereoscopic model formed by two overlapping aerial photographs; an orthophoto is free of tilt and relief displacements.
orthophoto maps	GSC Geospatial Subcommittee	Approved	Aerial photographs corrected to scale such that geographic measurements may be taken directly from prints. They may contain graphically emphasized geographic features and may be provided with overlays of such features as: water systems, facility location, etc.&nbsp;
orthostatic	EMC Emergency Medical Committee	Approved	Of, relating to, or caused by erect posture.
Osborne Firefinder	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Approved	A sighting device used by lookouts to determine the horizontal bearing and sometimes the vertical angle of a fire from a lookout.
other (specific cause)	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development	A category or classification to group data points that doent fit neatly into predefined or standard categories, often used for values or entries that are uncommon or don't conform to the expected set of categories.
other activity			Groups or activities associated with the fire cause or origin that don't fit the named categories.
other causes	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development	Refers to wildfire ignitions not classified under common cause categories.&nbsp;
other explosives	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
other infrastructure failure	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development	Surge of current, leading to equipment damage, power outages, and potential safety hazards.
other land clearing	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development	Land clearning not covered in a traditional prescribed burn or field/ag burn.
other mechanical failure	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
other shooting (only for historical mapping)
other small engine equipment	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
other spark/friction/static	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
other specific cause detail (remarks required)
other structure	FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee	Approved	A constructed building not designed for continuous human occupancy, such as barns, commercial buildings, etc.
other structures destroyed quantity	FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee	Approved	The total number of structures, other than residences, destroyed as a result of a fire.
other structures threatened quantity	FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee	Approved	The total number of structures, other than residences, threatened by the fire.
other training which supports development of knowledge and skills	IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee	Approved	Courses defined as containing supplemental knowledge and skills not required for safe and tactical operations success on a wildfire.
other utilities	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development	Entities repsonsible for providing essential services like water, sanitation, telecommunications, renewable energy, transporation or waste management.
otitis	EMC Emergency Medical Committee	Approved	Inflammation of the ear.
out (fire)	FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee	Proposed New	All observable combustion has ceased and there is no risk of the fire again becoming active and requiring additional control or management actions.
out of area response (event)	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Approved	An event where resources are mobilized to a Wildfire (WF) Event within their corresponding dispatch center's response area (boundary). When resources arrive on scene, it is determined the ignition is not within their area of response, but in fact plots within an adjacent dispatch center's response area (boundary).
out-of-service resources	IBC Incident Business Committee	Approved	Resources assigned to an incident but unable to respond for mechanical, rest, or personal reasons.
outdoor oven/fireplace/metal fire ring	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
outside aid	IBC Incident Business Committee	Approved	Firefighting assistance given to adjacent areas and nearby communities by contract or other agreement that covers conditions and payment for assistance rendered and services performed. Contrasted to mutual aid, in which neighboring firefighting organizations assist each other without charge.&nbsp;
Outside Diameter (OD)	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	External diameter of a cylinder or tube, conductor, or coupling as distinguished from the internal diameter.
Over The Counter (OTC) medications	EMC Emergency Medical Committee	Approved	Drugs that can be purchased without a prescription.
overdue aircraft	ARMS Aviation Risk Management Subcommittee	Approved	An aircraft is considered &ldquo;overdue&rdquo; when it fails to arrive within 30 minutes past the estimated time of arrival (ETA) and cannot be located.
overhaul	WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee	Approved	Fire department procedure of inspecting premises after extinguishment of fire, to insure that fire is completely out and unable to rekindle before returning control to owner or occupants.
overhead	NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee	Archived	Personnel assigned to supervisory positions, including incident commander, command staff, general staff, branch directors, supervisors, unit leaders, managers and staff.
overheating/radiant	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
overload (operational)	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Approved	A situation that taxes an operational system to the limit of its functional capabilities. Such as too many fires for an individual unit to handle (fire overload), or too many orders for an individual dispatch center to process (dispatch overload).
overload (vehicle)	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	Gross vehicle weight (GVW) in excess of the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) specified by the chassis manufacturer. Also an excess of weight over the gross vehicle axle weight rating (GAWR) specified by the chassis manufacture.
overwintering fire	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	A fire that persists through the winter months until the beginning of fire season.
owner	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Proposed New	The agency or company to be reimbursed for providing a resource to an incident.
owner vendor	IBC Incident Business Committee	Approved	A party that provides a contract resource for an incident.
oxidation	WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee	Approved	Process during which oxygen combines with another substance.
oxidizer	WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee	Approved	The portion of a chemical mixture or compound which furnishes oxygen for burning a fuel or propellant, creating an oxide.
pace	IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee	Approved	A pace is defined as the average length of two natural steps (a count is made each time the same foot touches the ground).
pack test	RMC Risk Management Committee	Approved	Used to determine the aerobic capacity of fire suppression support personnel and assign physical fitness scores. The test consists of walking a specified distance, with or without a weighted pack, in a predetermined period of time, with altitude corrections.&nbsp;
packing ratio	FENC Fire Environment Committee, FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee	Approved	The fraction of a fuel bed occupied by fuels, or the fuel volume divided by bed volume.
panoramic photograph	GSC Geospatial Subcommittee	Approved	Photographs from a lookout point, bearing azimuth and vertical angle scales, to assist in locating fires with a firefinder.
paracargo	NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee	Approved	Anything intentionally dropped, or intended for dropping, from any aircraft by parachute, by other retarding devices, or by free fall.
parallel attack	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Approved	Method of fire suppression in which fireline is constructed approximately parallel to, and just far enough from the fire edge to enable workers and equipment to work effectively, though the fireline may be shortened by cutting across unburned fingers. The intervening strip of unburned fuel is normally burned out as the control line proceeds but may be allowed to burn out unassisted where this occurs without undue delay or threat to the fireline.&nbsp;
parallel lane technique	WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee	Approved	A search technique dividing the specific origin area into lanes that are parallel to the advancing fire progression for the purpose of a systematic examination.
parallel pumping	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	Procedure by which the flow from two fire pumps is combined into one hose line.
parallel tandem pumping	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	Procedure by which the flow from two fire pumps is combined into a third pump.
paramedic	EMC Emergency Medical Committee	Approved	An EMS professional who provides basic and advanced life support skills and interventions for patients within the EMS system.
parameter	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Archived	A variable which can be measured quantitatively; sometimes, an arbitrary constant; associated with populations. One of the unknown values that determine a model.
paroxysmal	EMC Emergency Medical Committee	Approved	Of, relating to or marked by paroxysms (the hypertension may be either sustained or paroxysmal).
partial risk	FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	Contribution of a specific source to human-caused risk, derived from the daily activity level assigned a risk source and its risk source ratio.
partial risk factor	FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	Contribution to human-caused risk made by a specific risk source; a function of the daily activity level assigned that risk source and the appropriate risk source ratio.
partial-thickness burn	RMC Risk Management Committee	Approved	A burn where the outer layer of skin is burned through and the second layer of skin (dermis) is damaged and is typically, a painful injury. Burns of this type cause reddening, blistering, and a mottled appearance.
particle size	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Approved	The size of a piece of fuel, often expressed in terms of size classes.
particulate matter	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	Any liquid or solid particles. "Total suspended particulates", as used in air quality, are those particles suspended in or falling through the atmosphere. They generally range in size (diameter) from 0.1 to 100 micrometers.
parts of a fire	FENC Fire Environment Committee	Approved	Different areas of the fire usually determined by the predominant direction of fire spread and delineated from the fastest moving area (head) to the slowest moving area (base or tail). The most rapidly moving portion is designated the head of the fire, the adjoining portions of the perimeter at right angles to the head are known as the flanks, and the slowest moving portion is known as the rear or the base of the fire.&nbsp;
passenger	NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee	Approved	Any person aboard an aircraft who does not perform the function of a flight crew member or qualified non-crew member.
passenger vehicle/motorized RV	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	In Development
passive crown fire	FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee	Approved	A fire in the crowns of trees in which trees or groups of trees torch, ignited by the passing front of the fire. The torching trees reinforce the spread rate, but these fires are not basically different from surface fires.
patch burning	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	Burning in patches to prepare sites for group planting or sowing or to form a barrier to subsequent fires.
patrol (person)	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	Approved	A person or group of persons who carries out patrol actions.
patrol (prevention)	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	Approved	To travel over a given route to prevent, detect, and suppress fires. Includes interaction with the public for wildland fire prevention and educational purposes.
patrol [suppression]	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	Approved	To go back and forth vigilantly over a length of control line during and/or after construction to prevent breakovers, suppress spot fires, and extinguish overlooked hotspots.
patrol time	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Approved	Elapsed time from completion of original mopping up until the fire is declared to be extinguished.
patrol unit	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Archived	Any light, mobile unit with limited pumping and water capacity.
pattern	IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee	Approved	The distribution of an aerially delivered retardant drop on the target area in terms of its length, width, and momentum (velocity x mass) as it approaches the ground. The latter determines the relative coverage level of the fire retardant on fuel within the pattern.&nbsp;
pattern clusters	WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee	Approved	A group of indicators in a close proximity, of the same or different categories, that exhibit consistent directional values.
payload	NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee	Approved	Weight of passengers and/or cargo being carried by an aircraft.
peak fire season	FENC Fire Environment Committee	Approved	That period of the fire season during which fires are expected to ignite most readily, to burn with greater than average intensity, and to create damages at an unacceptable level.
peak monthly average	WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee	Approved	Highest monthly average of human-caused fires calculated for a protection unit.
peak wind	FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee	Approved	The greatest 5-second average wind speed during the previous hour that exceeded 25 knots.
peak wind direction	FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	Direction at peak wind speed.
peak wind speed	FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	Maximum wind speed during the previous 60 minutes.
percolation	FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee	Approved	Passage of liquid through a porous body, as movement of water through soil.
perennial plant	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee, FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	A plant that lives for more than two growing seasons. For fire danger rating purposes, biennial plants are classed with perennial plants.
performance chart	NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee	Approved	A chart, table, or graph provided by the manufacturer for use in determining an aspect of helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft performance.
performance oriented objectives	IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee	Archived	On-the-job performance enhancement is a result of online training. Performance oriented objectives or learning objectives for this training is developed, agreed to, and tested to ensure skill transfer. The purpose of learning objectives is to define the type of learning or performance outcomes that will occur at the conclusion of instruction and how learning will be assessed. Both objectives and performance outcomes should be written as precisely as possible in order to best determine whether they have been achieved.&nbsp;
perimeter access	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Archived	Any road, trail, or route that will allow firefighting forces to reach the perimeter of a wildland fire.
perimeter date time	GSC Geospatial Subcommittee, FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee	Approved	The date and time that the fire perimeter was collected (mapped).
perimeter extant		Approved	Identifies if a related wildland fire perimeter polygon exists for the wildland fire location point feature.
period of alert	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Archived	Period of time when suppression crews, equipment, and aircraft are kept ready for deployment on short notice; usually employed when fire danger reaches a predetermined severity index.
permafrost	FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee	Approved	A short term for "permanently frozen ground"; any part of the earth's crust, bedrock, or soil mantle that remains below 32° F (0° C) continuously for a number of years.
permission hierarchy	DMC Data Management Committee	In Development	A system created to rank create, read, update, delete actions on business applications to ensure a system can only take those actions when they are considered an authoritative data source, which varies based on the state of the incident.
permission state	DMC Data Management Committee	Grandfathered	The authorization stage of create, read, update and delete actions in an application based on where the incident is occurring within the lifecyle.

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National Wildfire Coordinating Group

PMS 205

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Overview