NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

A description of the intended outcome of a training class, program, or evolution. The learning objective identifies the condition, the task, and the standard to which the student much achieve.

Reusable learning objects represent an alternative approach to content development. In this approach, content is broken down into chunks. From a pedagogical perspective, each chunk might play a specific role within an instructional design methodology. Such chunks are called learning objects. There is no standard for the size (or granularity) of a learning object. Larger learning objects are typically harder to reuse, and smaller learner objects save less work for those who reuse them. Normally the happy medium has been estimated as between five and fifteen minutes of learning material. The requirements for each chunk are:

Each chunk must be able to communicate with learning systems using a standardized method that does not depend on the system.
What happens within a chunk is the chunk's business.
How a learner moves between chunks is controlled by the learning system.
Each chunk must have a description (metadata tag) that enables designers to search for and find the right chunk for the right job.

A key accompanying a map which shows information needed to interpret that map. Each type of map has information represented in a different way relating to its subject matter. The legend can explain map scales,symbols and color.

Smoke from any authorized use of fire (e.g., locomotive, industrial operations, permitted debris burning).

Describes how strongly a fire investigator holds an opinion or conclusion, includes two levels, Possible and Probable.

Amount of fire prevention and fire suppression supplied; may be expressed several ways (e.g., percent of people or buildings protected, area protected, dollar value of property protected, firefighters per capita, water flow capability).

The vehicle’s license plate number for purposes of identifying equipment.

Refers to the joint consideration of both the life and physical well-being of individuals.

Any of the processes that lead to upward vertical motion in the atmosphere. These processes may include low level convergence, heating or thermal convection, orographic lifting over the mountains, and frontal lifting.

Fast-drying fuels, generally with a comparatively high surface area-to-volume ratio, which are less than 1/4-inch in diameter and have a timelag of 1 hour or less. These fuels readily ignite and are rapidly consumed by fire when dry.

Light duty mainly involves office-type work with occasional field activity characterized by light physical exertion requiring basic good health.  Individuals almost always can govern the extent and pace of their physical activity.  Essential functions include, but are not limited to: climbing stairs, standing, operating a vehicle, and long hours of work, as well as some bending, stooping, or light lifting.

Wind speed less than 7 mph (6 knots) measured at 20 feet above ground. At eye level, light winds are less than 3 mph (3 knots).

A number, on a scale of 1 to 6, which reflects frequency and character of cloud-to-ground lightning (forecasted or observed). The scale for 1 to 5 is exponential, based on powers of 2 (i.e., LAL 3 indicates twice the lightning of LAL 2). LAL 6 is a special category for dry lightning and is closely equivalent to LAL 3 in strike frequency. 

Wildfire caused directly or indirectly by lightning.

Numerical rating of the potential occurrence of lightning-caused fires.

A number related to the expected number of cloud-to-ground lightning strokes to which a protection unit is expected to be exposed during the rating period. The LR value used in the occurrence index includes an adjustment for lightning activity experienced during the previous day to account for possible holdover fires. 

Factor derived from local thunderstorm and lightning-caused fire records that adjusts predictions of the basic lightning fire occurrence model to local experience, accounting for factors not addressed directly by the model (e.g., susceptibility of local fuels to ignition by lightning, fuel continuity, topography, regional characteristics of thunderstorms). 

Electronic sensor used to record the number of lightning strokes within a predetermined range over a specified period of time.

Ash and other materials found on other remains at a fire scene which have a tendency to settle on top of the other objects.

Removing branches from a felled or standing tree, or from brush.

Halting of fire spread at the head, or that portion of the flanks of a prescribed fire that is threatening to exceed prescription criteria, and ensuring that this spread rate will not be encountered again; does not indicate mopup.

Fire crew member in the progressive method of line construction who cuts and clears away brush, small saplings, vines, and other obstructions in the path of the fireline; usually equipped with ax or brush hook, or pulaski.

The date and time that the fire perimeter was collected in the field.

Managing officer, or designee, of the agency, division thereof, or jurisdiction having statutory responsibility for incident mitigation and management.

A firefighter who determines the location of a fire line.

Fire hose with a smooth inner coating of rubber or plastic to reduce friction loss.

Liquid phosphate fertilizers used as fire retardants, usually diluted three to five times prior to application.

The top layer of forest floor, composed of loose debris of dead sticks, branches, twigs, and recently fallen leaves or needles; little altered in structure by decomposition.

Insignificant change in wind speed, direction, and temperature (less than 5 degrees) and relative humidity (less than five percent), respectively. When used as a general statement in a long-range forecast, all four criteria apply.

Ratio of the amount of water to the amount of dry plant material in living plants.

Living plants, such as trees, grasses, and shrubs, in which the seasonal moisture content cycle is controlled largely by internal physiological mechanisms, rather than by external weather influences.

Ratio of the amount of water to the amount of dry plant material in herbaceous plants (i.e., grasses and forbs).

Hose line filled with water under pressure and ready to use.

Hose line or reel on a fire engine, carried preconnected to the pump, ready for use without making connections to pump or attaching nozzle.

Indicates that the airtanker has the target in sight and will make a retardant drop on this run over the target.

Ratio of the amount of water to the amount of dry plant material in shrubs.

An order given to the airtanker pilot to pick up another load of retardant or water and hold at the reload base. The tanker is still committed to the fire.

Order given to the airtanker pilot to pick up another load of fire retardant or water and return to the fire.

An agency form used to calculate helicopter allowable payload.

Concrete pad at a retardant base on which aircraft stand when being loaded.

Individual responsible to the Deck Coordinator for the manifesting, loading and unloading of personnel, equipment and cargo.

Any agency having jurisdictional responsibility for all or part of an incident.

Day/Month/Year officially accepted by the local manager as meeting all local requirements to receive funds in the planned year.

A number or code that uniquely identifies an incident report for a particular reporting unit and a particular calendar year.

User entered ID for Treatment or Activity

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