Skip to main content

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Title Steward Status Definition
Safety Warning RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

A time-sensitive alert to the wildland fire community addressing wildland fire safety hazards that pose an imminent threat, or have potential to pose a threat, to life or property.  Red hash-marked bordered stationary will be associated with this type of alert.

safety zone RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

An area cleared of flammable materials used for escape in the event the line is outflanked or in case a spot fire causes fuels outside the control line to render the line unsafe. In firing operations, crews progress so as to maintain a safety zone close at hand allowing the fuels inside the control line to be consumed before going ahead. Safety zones may also be constructed as integral parts of fuel breaks; they are greatly enlarged areas which can be used with relative safety by firefighters and their equipment in the event of blowup in the vicinity. 

salvo NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Dropping by an airtanker of its entire load of fire retardant at one time.

salvo drop NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Total retardant or water load dropped all at once. Usually done to knock down a hotspot.

sample FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Part of a population; that portion of the population that is measured.

sample size FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

The number of items or observations in a sample; usually denoted by lower case letter n.

Sand Table Exercise LC Leadership Committee Approved

A tactical decision game that employs a three-dimensional terrain model made from sand and various props to provide a visual representation of the situation described in the tactical decision game.

scope of practice RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

The set of responsibilities and ethical considerations that define the extent or limits of the care provider within the current standards of practice.

scorch height FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Average heights of foliage browning or bole blackening caused by a fire.

scratch line IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

An unfinished preliminary control line hastily established or constructed as an emergency measure to check the spread of fire.

scrubbing ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

The process of agitating foam solution and air within a confined space (usually a hose) that produces tiny, uniform bubbles - the length and type of hose determine the amount of scrubbing and, therefore, foam quality.

sea breeze FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A breeze (wind) blowing inland from the sea generally during daytime hours.

sea-level pressure FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Pressure value obtained by the theoretical reduction or increase of station pressure to sea level. The average atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7 psi.

search/rescue/recovery (event) NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

An event, usually managed by organizatons external to the fire community, for which the primary focus is the search, rescue and/or recovery of people or things. This category includes missing persons, entrapments, etc.

season code FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

One of four designations of seasonal plant development used in the 1988 version of NFDRS.

Seasonal Data Collection Station
seasonal monthly average FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Historically, the average number of human-caused fires occurring on a protection unit per month during the established fire season.

seasonal risk class WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Objective ranking of protection units within an administrative group based on the number of human-caused fires for at least the past five years.

Second Order Fire Effects FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

The secondary effects of fire such as tree regeneration, plant succession, and changes in site productivity. Although second order fire effects are dependent, in part, on first order fire effects, they also involve interaction with many other non-fire variables. 

second-degree burn RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

A burn in which the skin is blistered.

second-in-command NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Pilot who is designated to be second-in-command of an aircraft during flight time.

secondary line IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Any fireline constructed at a distance from the fire perimeter concurrently with or after a line already constructed on or near to the perimeter of the fire. Generally constructed as an insurance measure in case the fire escapes control by the primary line. 

secondary lookout (location) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

A lookout point intermittently used to supplement the visible area coverage of the primary lookout system when required by fire danger, poor visibility, or other factors.

secondary lookout (person) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

The person who occupies such a station.

secondary phone DMC Data Management Committee Approved

Individual’s secondary phone.

secondary weather station FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Station at which minimum weather measurements are taken to compute ratings of burning conditions; provides supplementary information on weather experience.

section NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Approved

The ICS organizational level having responsibility for a major functional area of incident management (e.g., Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration).

section area Approved

An area of land one mile square and containing 640 acres, more or less, which is one of 36 parts of a township.

security weather watch IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived

Observers are posted at one or more strategic locations in the proximity of a fire to detect and warn fire personnel of pending critical weather changes that might significantly affect the fire.

segment IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

A geographical area in which a task force/strike team leader or supervisor of a single resource is assigned authority and responsibility for the coordination of resources and implementation of planned tactics. A segment may be a portion of a division or an area inside or outside the perimeter of an incident. Segments are identified with Arabic numbers, i.e., A-1, etc. and are not to be used as radio designators. 

selection area Approved

Indicates the dispatch center inside/outside the current dispatch center for which resources are being requested.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

Portable air (not oxygen) tanks with regulators which allow firefighters to breathe while in toxic smoke conditions. Usually rated for 30 minutes of service. Used primarily on fires involving structures or hazardous materials.

separation (aircraft) IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee Approved

The horizontal and vertical spacing of aircraft working over or near a wildfire or other incident.

separation (airports) IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee Approved

Spacing of aircraft while landing and taking off at airports to achieve safe and orderly movement in flight.

separation (personnel) IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Spacing of personnel while performing line construction activities.

serial number NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

A set of numbers that is put on equipment by the manufacturer so that each has a different number and can be recognized.

Serious Accident Investigation Team RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

A formal investigation team that is organized with the purpose of conducting an accident investigation for an occurred serious accident. The team is given full authorization to conduct the investigation from involved agencies through letter of delegation. 

serious aircraft incident NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

An incident or malfunction that could adversely affect the safety of flight.

service branch NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Approved

A branch within the logistics section responsible for service activities at the incident. Includes the communications, medical and food units.

set (incendiary) WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

An individual incendiary fire.

set (individual) WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Individual lightning or railroad fires, especially when several are started within a short time.

set (material) WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Material left to ignite an incendiary fire at a later time.

set (planned) WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Burning material at the points deliberately ignited for backfiring, slash burning, prescribed burning, and other purposes.

set (point of origin) WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

The point or points of origin of an incendiary fire.

severe winter weather (event) NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

An event dealing with response to severe winter weather such as blizzards, heavy snow, or ice storms.

severity FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

See fire severity

severity funding IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Suppression funds used to increase the level of presuppression capability and fire preparedness when predicted or actual burning conditions exceed those normally expected, due to severe weather conditions.

severity index FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

A number that indicates the relative net effects of daily fire danger on the fire load for an area during a specified period, such as a fire season.

shaded fuel break FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Fuel breaks built in timbered areas where the trees on the break are thinned and pruned to reduce the fire potential yet retain enough crown canopy to make a less favorable microclimate for surface fires.

Shareable Content Object IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee Archived

Self-contained units of learning. They can be used as building blocks (or legos) to create packages (lessons) of SCOs, but they cannot be broken down into smaller units.

Displaying 2051 - 2100 of 2568

NWCG Latest Announcements