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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)

EDG Explorer is a database platform used for managing NWCG Glossary terms.  The following table is a quick view of the terms found in EDG. More detailed information such as rules, documentation, and term relationships may be viewed in EDG Explorer.  

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Title Steward Status Definition
ABCD Miscellaneous DMC Data Management Committee, IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

A FireCode used by the USDA Forest Service to track and compile cost information for emergency initial attack fire suppression expenditures for A, B, C, & D size class fires on Forest Service lands.

active fire IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Any fire that has not been called "out".

at incident NCSC National Coordination System Committee Proposed New

The resource is committed and at the assigned incident.

available Proposed New

The resource can be used to fill a request. Resources on preposition incidents qualify as available.

created on date time DMC Data Management Committee Grandfathered

Date and time the event record was created

date current (geospatial data) GSC Geospatial Subcommittee Approved

The last edit, update, of this GIS record.

date-time DMC Data Management Committee Approved

The combination of date and time elements.

demob en route Proposed New

The resource is no longer assigned to an incident and travel has started, but the resource has not yet arrived home.

estimated containment date FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee Approved

The expected containment or completion date of the incident.

extreme fire behavior FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee Approved

Extreme implies a level of fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning and/or spotting, presence of fire whirls, strong convection column. Predictability is difficult because such fires often exercise some degree of influence on their environment and behave erratically, sometimes dangerously. 

fire intensity level code (Point of Origin) (POO) Approved

An expression of fire intensity based on observed and/or calculated flame lengths representative across the immediate vicinity of the point of origin during the initial response. Point of origin is the location where a competent ignition source came into contact with the material first ignited and sustained combustion occurred. Fire intensity levels (FILs) provide "an expression of fireline intensity, based on typical and/ or calculated flame length of a fire behavior condition. FILs are used in the analysis to reflect the differences in difficulty of suppression and fire effects on natural and cultural resources." (Ref. FSH5109.19 ch40.5 9/85)

fire resource status (record) NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

Indicates if the resource record being submitted or updated is an initial response resource or daily resource record.

first name DMC Data Management Committee Approved

The first name of the resource as it appears on a government issued ID.

Geographic Information System Acres Approved

GIS calculated acres within the fire perimeter, not adjusted for unburned areas

geometry identifier Approved

Primary key for linking geospatial objects with other database systems.

Incident Commander (IC) name NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

The first (optional) and last name of the Incident Commander(s) currently assigned to the incident.

incident name FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee Approved

The name assigned to an incident.

incident overhead NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Pending Revision

All supervisory positions described in the Incident Command System.

invasive concern Approved

A list of invasive species that are cause for concern related to the use of water sources.

jurisdictional agency category In Development

The agency category having land and resource management responsibility for a specific geographical or functional area as provided by federal, state or local law.

jurisdictional agency kind In Development

The agency kind having land and resource management responsibility for a specific geographical or functional area as provided by federal, state or local law.

landowner contact information Approved

Full contact information for the landowner including name, phone number, email, etc.

limitations (water source) Approved

Limitation of the water source like duration of use, seasonality, slow refill, must have specific size screen on draft hose, etc.

local incident identifier FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee Approved

A number or code that uniquely identifies an incident for a particular local fire management organization within a particular calendar year.

longitude (World Geodetic System 1984) Approved

Longitude format for labeling and display.

map method GSC Geospatial Subcommittee Approved

How the geospatial feature was derived

mob en route Proposed New

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.

National Fire Incident Reporting System unit identifier Approved

National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) fire department ID used to uniquely identify a non-federal organizational unit (office administratively responsible for either managing incidents, providing resources, or providing logistical services).

position code PNB Position Naming Board Approved

A code (mnemonic) for designating a position used in incident management response

projected incident activity Approved

An estimate of the direction in which the incident is expected to spread, migrate, or expand within a specified time frame.

reassigned (at incident) Proposed New

A resource on a filled request has been reassigned from one incident to the another, but the mobilization travel has not started.

released (at incident) Proposed New

A resource on a filled request has been released, but the demobilization travel has not started.

reserved Proposed New

The resource has been assigned to a request but has not started travel. Either no travel has been assigned, or if travel has been assigned, the ETD has not yet passed.

returned from assignment Proposed New

The resource has returned from the assignment but is not yet available for dispatch.

source agency Approved

Land management agency with responsibility for creating and administering the data.

source depth (water) Approved

Depth in feet of the water source.

source gallon capacity (water source) Approved

Capacity in gallons of the water source.

source hyperlink (mapping)

A link to documentation about the mapping effort

tentative release Proposed New

A resource may be tentatively released from At Incident so that a dispatcher can have a view of where resources are and their availability to be assigned to an incident.

torching FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee Approved

The burning of the foliage of a single tree or a small group of trees, from the bottom up.

unavailable Proposed New

The resource is not available to fill a resource order request.

unavailable (transferred) Proposed New

The resource has been transferred to another dispatch, but the transfer has not been completed.

Unit Identifier (UnitID) UIB Unit Identifier Board Approved

A code used within the interagency incident management community to uniquely identify a particular governmental or non-government organizational unit recognized by NWCG as a wildland fire or all-risk cooperator.

Universal Transverse Mercator easting coordinates Approved

Grid coordinates expressed as a distance in meters to the east.

Universal Transverse Mercator northing coordinates Approved

Coordinates measured relative to the equator.

Universal Transverse Mercator Zone Approved

A division of the Earth's surface into 60 north-south zones, each 6 degrees of longitude wide.

water source IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Any strategically located supply of water that is readily available for pumps, tanks, trucks, helicopters, or fire camp use.

water source type IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

The type of water source.

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NWCG Latest Announcements

ETC Bulletin 25-001: Retrofitted Hot/Cold Beverage Kits - 2025 Field Season

Date: April 16, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

Due to spout failures and the associated risk of burn injuries, manufacturers have retrofitted the Hot/Cold Beverage Kits using a heat-shrinking band to secure the black spout at the insertion site. The updated kits feature a fluorescent label on each full kit assembly for easy identification. Catering units are encouraged to confirm the clear heat-shrinking bands are intact around each spout before filling.

ETC Bulletin 24-001 regarding Hot/Cold Beverage Kits has been archived and replaced by ETC Bulletin 25-001 for the 2025 season.

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC-EB-25-001 Retrofitted Hot/Cold Beverage Kits

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212, and Next Generation Position Task Book for Basic Faller Are Now Available

Date: April 14, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee

The updated NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212, and NWCG Position Task Book for Basic Faller (FAL3), PMS 311-19 are now available.

The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212 includes position standards designed to be used in conjunction with the Next Generation Position Task Book (Next Gen PTB). The Next Gen PTB for Basic Faller (FAL3) includes an evaluation guide with suggested rating elements to consider when assessing trainees.

References:

NWCG Standards For Wildland Fire Chainsaw Operations, PMS 212

NWCG Position Task Book for Basic Faller (FAL3), PMS 311-119

NWCG Basic Faller (FAL3)

RMC Memo 25-01: Summary of Updates to Safety Officer Positions

Date: April 9, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
RMC Member Eric Fransted

The Risk Management Committee (RMC) serves as the position steward for all Safety Officer incident positions and continues to improve position standards, training, and naming conventions. The implementation of Complex Incident Management (CIM) required changes to position titles. RMC collaborated with the NWCG Incident Position Standards Committee (IPSC) to propose and implement these updates. 

References:

RMC Memo 25-01: Summary of Updates to Safety Officer Positions 

NWCG Position Catalog

Updated, NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination, PMS 412

Date: April 8, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee

PMS 412 provides guidance for wildland fire investigations. This guide outlines recommended procedures, practices, techniques, and methods to promote a systematic approach. The last update to this publication was in 2016.

References:

NWCG Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination PMS 412