NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Average height of the surface of the sea for all stages of the tide over a 19-year period.

Moisture content of the small branch wood and foliage of live woody plants, expressed as a percentage of the oven dry weight of the sample, collected monthly and used to supplement NFDRS modeled outputs.

An event dealing with a rescue, and/or recovery, and/or service for a non-accident medical emergency (e.g., heart attack, illness, etc.).

A physician responsible for the oversight of the EMS system, EMS agencies and licensed EMS personnel WITHIN A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICAL AREA.

Medical Unit staff are responsible to plan for and provide health and medical services for incident personnel.

Foam with an expansion between 21:1 and 200:1.

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.

Mobile medical treatment and transportation.

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.

Identifies that a merge between multiple fires occurred.

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.

A flat-topped mountain with steep sides.

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.

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

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. 

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Military Operations Area found on aeronautical charts.

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

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

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).

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The aircraft is “missing” when the fuel duration, as reported on the request for flight following, or as reported on the FAA flight plan, has been exceeded and the aircraft location is unknown. It can also be considered missing when it has been reported to the FAA as being “overdue” and the FAA has completed an administrative search for the aircraft without success.

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.

Any unauthorized use of fire or incendiary devices by an individual under the ae of 18, including incidents caused by curiosity and exploration with fire.

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

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.

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

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

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).

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

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.

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

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.

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

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