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NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Title Steward Status Definition
medium-range forecast FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A forecast for a period extending from about two days to five days or a week in advance; there are no absolute limits to the period embraced by this definition.

medivac RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

Mobile medical treatment and transportation.

meningitis EMC Emergency Medical Committee Approved

Inflammation of the meninges and especially of the pia mater and the arachnoid ,
A disease that may be either a mild illness caused by any of numerous viruses (as various coxsackieviruses) or a more severe usually life-threatening illness caused by a bacterium (especially the meningococcus or the serotype designated B of Haemophilus influenzae), that may be associated with fever, headache, vomiting, malaise, and stiff neck, and that if untreated in bacterial forms may progress to confusion, stupor, convulsions, coma, and death.

merge identifier Approved

Identifies that a merge between multiple fires occurred.

merged wildfires IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Two or more wildfires that burn together to form a single burned area and which, by management action, may be declared merged and managed as a single incident to improve efficiency and simplify incident management processes.

mesa (topographic) IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee Approved

A flat-topped mountain with steep sides.

message center NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Archived

The message center is part of the incident communications center and is collocated or placed adjacent to it. It receives, records, and routes information about resources reporting to the incident, resource status, and administrative and tactical traffic.

methodology DPMS Dispatch Position and Curriculum Management Subcommittee Approved

A set of standardized procedures and practices that have been peer-reviewed and have received general acceptance by the profession.

Micro-Remote Environmental Monitoring System (Micro-REMS) FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Mobile weather monitoring station. Each unit consists of a shipping container, solar panel, battery, temperature/relative humidity sensor, wind mast, wind direction/speed sensor, data logger and radio. A Micro-REMS usually accompanies an incident meteorologist and ATMU to an incident. 

microscale fire pattern indicator WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Fire pattern indicators that are generally only visible when viewed within close proximity.

mid-flame windspeed FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

The speed of the wind measured at the midpoint of the flames, considered to be most representative of the speed of the wind that is affecting fire behavior.

middle name DMC Data Management Committee Approved

The middle name of the resource as it appears on a government issued ID. Applies only to overhead resources.

mildew MFES Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee Approved

Growth of organic matter produced by fungi. It will discolor and cause deterioration of the woven fabric.

mildew resistant MFES Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee Approved

Designed to withstand the growth of mildew and mold without any deteriorating effect on the fabric.

mildew treatment MFES Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee Approved

The chemical treatment on a hose jacket to resist organic growth that would deteriorate the hose jacket fibers.

military CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
Military Operations Area (MOA) NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Military Operations Area found on aeronautical charts.

military ordnance CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
military time IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived

The 24-hour clock system where midnight is 2400, one minute after midnight is 0001 and progresses to 2400 daily.

military/law enforcement

Activities related to training, practice, or response by military or law enforcement units.

millibar FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A unit of pressure equal to a force of 1,000 dynes per square centimeter. (A dyne is the force that would give a free mass of one gram an acceleration of one centimeter per second per second).

mineral ash FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee Approved

The residue of mineral matter left after complete combustion of wood (wood ash) or other organic material; consists largely of oxides, carbonates, and phosphates of Ca, K and Mg, together with other compounds.

mineral soil FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Soil layers below the predominantly organic horizons; soil with little combustible material.

minimum cost suppression alternative IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

The alternative that achieves incident objectives, consistent with priority for firefighter and public safety, and is least expensive when considering expected costs for fire suppression and emergency stabilization and/or rehabilitation.

minimum dry bulb temperature FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

The lowest value for dry bulb temperature measured at the observation site during the preceding 24-hour period.

Minimum Impact Strategy and Tactics (MIST) IFPC Interagency Fire Planning Committee Approved

The application of strategy and tactics that effectively meet suppression and resource objectives with the least environmental, cultural and social impacts

minimum relative humidity FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

The lowest value for relative humidity measured at the observation site during the preceding 24-hour period.

mining/extraction CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development

Activities and processes related to obtaining minerals, metals, ores, and other natural resources from the Earth's crust.

minor (historical only) CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
miscellaneous fire WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Fire of known cause that cannot be properly classified into any of the eight standard causes of fires.

mission assignment NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Approved

A work order issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to a federal agency, directing completion of a specified task, and setting forth funding, other managerial controls and guidance. Mission Assignments (MA) are implemented utilizing assigned federal agency's existing authorities and resources which may be compensable or non-compensable.

misuse of fire by a minor CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
mitigation FMB Fire Management Board Approved

Modifying the environment or human behavior to reduce potential adverse impacts of from a natural hazard.

mitigation actions IFPC Interagency Fire Planning Committee Approved

Actions that are implemented to reduce or eliminate (mitigate) risks to persons, property or natural resources. These actions can be undertaken before and during a wildfire. Before a fire actions can include fuel treatments, creation of fuel breaks or barriers around critical or sensitive sites or resources, and vegetation modification and structural changes to increase the chance a structure will survive a wildfire with or without active protection (sometimes referred to as defensible space or the home ignition zone). Mitigation actions can also occur during response and can include mechanical and physical tasks, specific fire applications, and limited suppression actions. Such as fireline construction, and creating "black lines" through the use of controlled burnouts to limit fire spread and behavior.

mix ratio ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

The ratio of liquid foam concentrate to water, usually expressed as a percent.

mixing FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A random exchange of air parcels on any scale from the molecular to the largest eddy.

mixing chamber ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A tube, constructed with deflectors or baffles, that mixes foam solution and air to produce tiny, uniform bubbles in a short distance (1 to 2 ft).

mixing height FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Measured from the surface upward, the height to which relatively vigorous mixing occurs due to convection.

mixing layer FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

That portion of the atmosphere from the surface up to the mixing height. This is the layer of air, usually below a stable layer, within which pollutants are mixed by turbulence and diffusion.

mixmaster NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

The person in charge of fire retardant mixing operations with responsibility for quantity and quality of the slurry and for the loading of aircraft.

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.

mobile radio NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

A two way radio unit on mobile apparatus (instead of base stations), usually semi-permanently attached to the apparatus.

mobile weather unit forecast (fire) FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A special fire weather forecast for a specific fire prepared by a meteorologist on site at or near the fire area.

mobile weather unit forecast (incident) FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A special weather forecast for a specific incident prepared by a meteorologist on site at or near the incident area.

mobilization NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Approved

The processes and procedures for activating, assembling, and transporting resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.

mobilization center NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Approved

An off-incident location at which emergency service personnel and equipment are temporarily located pending assignment, release, or reassignment.

mobilization guide NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

A written description of procedures used by federal, state, and local organizations for activating, assembling, and transporting resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.

model FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A simplified or generalized representation of reality; a description, analogy, picture, or hypothesis to help visualize something that cannot be directly observed.

Model Arson Law CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Model legislation, recommended by the Fire Marshals' Association of North America and adopted in most states, dealing with the subject of arson.

Model Fireworks Law WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Model legislation recommended by the Fire Marshals' Association of North America and adopted by many states, regulating display of fireworks.

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