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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
time in service NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

With respect to maintenance time records, the time from the moment an aircraft leaves the surface of the earth until it touches at the next point of landing.

time point DMC Data Management Committee Approved

A point in time during a 24-hour Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) day.

time recording IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Recording all time presented by others. Personnel time recorders record time from the Crew Time Report, SF-261, to the Incident Time Report, OF-288. Equipment time recorders record time from the Emergency Equipment Shift Ticket, OF-297, to the Emergency Equipment Use Invoice, OF-286.

Time Unit IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Functional unit within the Finance/Administration Section responsible for recording personnel time and managing the commissary.

time-temperature curve FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

Graph showing the increase in temperature at a specified point in a fire as a function of time, beginning with ignition and ending with burnout.

timekeeping IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Tracking on-shift time of incident resources. Timekeeping is accomplished on the Crew Time Report, SF-261, or the Emergency Equipment Shift Ticket, OF-297.

Timelag FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

Time needed under specified conditions for a fuel particle to lose about 63 percent of the difference between its initial moisture content and its equilibrium moisture content. If conditions remain unchanged, a fuel will reach 95 percent of its equilibrium moisture content after 4 timelag periods. 

tinder FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Burnable organic material (duff, peat, rotten wood, etc.) with a high surface to volume ratio.

tips ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Nozzle tips used to change orifice size of a hose stream.

torch (envelopment) ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Ignition and subsequent envelopment in flames, usually from bottom to top, of a tree or small group of trees.

torch (professional) ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A professional firesetter-for-hire.

torch (set fire) ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

To set fire to property deliberately and maliciously.

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.

total fuel FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

All plant material both living and dead that can burn in a worst case situation.

total mobility IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

The capability to move, position, and utilize established forces to meet existing and anticipated fire protection needs nationwide.

total risk FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

Sum of lightning and human-caused risk values.

Total Suspended Particulate Matter FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Particles emitted from a pollution source regardless of size. Federal and state ambient and emission standards exist for TSP.

touchdown pad IHOPS Interagency Helicopter Operations Subcommittee Approved

That portion of a heliport or helispot where the helicopter lands.

tour-of-duty IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

The hours of a day (a daily tour-of-duty) and the days of an administrative workweek (a weekly tour-of-duty) that constitutes an employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek.

toxic RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

Relating to a harmful effect by a poisonous substance on the human body by physical contact, ingestion, or inhalation.

toxic substance RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

A chemical or mixture that may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.

tractor ETC Equipment Technology Committee Archived

A rubber tired or tracked rider-controlled automotive vehicle, used in wildland fire management for pulling a disk or a plow to construct fireline by exposing mineral soil.

tractor plow ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A steel tracked vehicle with or without a front mounted blade equipped with a plow for exposing mineral soil. Sometimes a tractor plow with a front mounted blade is referred to as a dozer plow.

traffic pattern NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Traffic flow that is prescribed for aircraft landing at, taxiing on, and taking off from, an airport. Usual components of a traffic pattern are upwind leg, crosswind leg, downwind leg, base leg, and final approach.

trail drop NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

An unbroken line of retardant used for constructing a retardant line.

trailer WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Combustible material, such as rolled rag, blankets and newspapers, or flammable liquid, used to spread fire from one area to others; usually used in conjunction with an incendiary device.

trainee IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee Approved

An individual who has met all required training and position experience for a specified position and is approved by their home unit's certifying official, to initiate a performance based training assignment in order to become qualified in the position.

trainer/coach IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee Approved

A position-qualified individual who provides instruction to a trainee in the classroom, on-the-job, or on an incident. While many of the requirements of the trainer/coach are similar to the evaluator, it is important that the roles of training and evaluation remain separate. 

transfer of command ICSC Incident Command Subcommittee Approved

The ICS management process in which the on-scene incident commander at a specified time hands off command responsibilities to the incident commander that will be taking over incident command.

transition FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved

In the 1978 version of NFDRS, the herbaceous stage when herbaceous fuel moisture is between 120% and 30%.

transition zone WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

Area of change between advancing, lateral, and backing vectors.

translational lift NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Lift that is gained when a helicopter translates from a hover into forward flight; additional lift increases with increasing airspeed and is derived by the rotor system moving into undisturbed air.

transport wind speed FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A measure of the average rate of the horizontal transport of air within the Mixing Layer. May also be the wind speed at the final height of plume rise. Generally refers to the rate at which emissions will be transported from one area to another.

transportation map GSC Geospatial Subcommittee Approved

Base map of the planning unit showing all roads, trails, heliports, and airfields existing and programmed for construction.

travel time IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Compensable time en route to or from an emergency incident.

travel time map IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived

Map showing the time required for the initial attack crew to reach various parts of a protection unit from specified positions.

Treatment Acres CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved
Treatment Category CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved
Treatment ID/Activity ID

Display only. Tied to Treatment/Activity Area Polygon

Treatment Identifier CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved
Treatment Identifier Database CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved
treatment name CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

The name of the fuels treatment

Treatment Name/Activity Name

Short name for Treatment or Activity.

Treatment Priority

the relative priority of a treatment or activity as high, medium or low

Treatment Status CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Status of the fuels treatment polygon(s).

Treatment Type CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved
trench IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

A small ditch often constructed below a fire on sloping ground (undercut or underslung line) to catch rolling material.

Tribe Name

A specific value. A subpart of the Functional Landscapes value.

trough FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

An elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, usually extending from the center of a low pressure system.

truck trail IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Archived

Substantial transportation route for fire suppression motor vehicles, built prior to a fire. Also known as a fire road.

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