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PMS 205

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire

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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.  

Note: If the NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire is not displaying below please report it to NWCG Webmaster. 

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. 
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Date: April 23, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Interagency Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Subcommittee

The NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515 standardizes processes and procedures for the interagency use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including pilot inspections and approvals. This updated publication provides the aviation community with standards to ensure UAS are used safely, effectively, and efficiently in support of fire management goals and objectives.

References:

NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

NWCG National Interagency Aviation Committee

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