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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
abandoned/unattended CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
ABCD Miscellaneous DMC Data Management Committee, IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

A FireCode used by the USDA Forest Service to track and compile cost information for emergency initial attack fire suppression expenditures for A, B, C, & D size class fires on Forest Service lands.

abort NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

To jettison a load of water or retardant from an aircraft, or terminate a preplanned aircraft maneuver.

abort area NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

A designated area where unused quantities of water or fire retardant may be jettisoned, usually to permit an airtanker to land with less than a full load.

Above Ground Level NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Term frequently used in aviation operations, usually in connection with a stated altitude.

absolute humidity FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

According to the American Meteorological Society, (also called vapor density). In a system of moist air, the ratio of the mass of water vapor present to the volume occupied by the mixture; that is, the density of the water vapor component.

absorption CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Act of soaking up and retaining a gas in liquid or in a solid; also retention of radiant energy.

accelerant CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Material (usually a flammable liquid) used to initiate or increase the spread of a fire.

accelerant misuse CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
acceptable fire risk FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

The potential fire loss a community is willing to accept rather than provide resources to reduce such losses.

accessibility burn FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

The burning of understory prior to the sale of forest products to improve the efficiency of timber marking and harvesting.

accident (event) NCSC National Coordination System Committee Approved

An event, usually managed by organizations external to the fire community, for which the primary focus is for dealing with an accident and assistance to potential victims. This category includes accidents such as: automobile, aircraft, train, watercraft, and industrial.

accounting code IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Agency-specific accounting data. Each agency assigns a specific accounting code to an incident.

accrual reports IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Cost reports utilized for financial obligation purposes.

accumulated debris CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
action plan NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee Archived

Any tactical plan developed by any element of ICS in support of the incident action plan.

active crown fire IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee, FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee Approved

A fire in which a solid flame develops in the crowns of trees, but the surface and crown phases advance as a linked unit dependent on each other.

active fire IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Any fire that has not been called "out".

active resources IBC Incident Business Committee Archived

Resources checked in and assigned work tasks on an incident.

activity (fire cause) CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

The thing that a person is doing when a wildland fire ignition occurs.

activity fuels FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Fuels resulting from, or altered by, forestry practices such as timber harvest or thinning, as opposed to naturally created fuels.

activity group CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Further refines wildfire cause supporting data, providing information for prevention programs for targeted messaging.

activity name CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Common name of activity

activity name (aviation) GSC Geospatial Subcommittee Approved

Common name of the aviation activity.

activity type FRSC Fire Reporting Subcommittee Approved

Type of activity or event

activity type (aviation) NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee, GSC Geospatial Subcommittee Approved

Type of aviation activity or event

actual completion date FMC Fuels Management Committee Approved

Date when treatment was physically completed

Actual Time En Route NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Term used in flight planning/following to document actual time spent flying between points.

Actual Time of Arrival NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Term used in flight planning/following to document time of arrival at a point.

Actual Time of Departure NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Term used in flight planning/following to document time of departure from a point.

adapter ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A device for connecting hoses of the same size with non-matching hose threads, or connecting a threaded coupling to a quick-connect coupling.

adiabatic process FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

According to the American Meteorological Society, a process in which a system does not interact with its surroundings by virtue of a temperature difference between them. In an adiabatic process any change in internal energy (for a system of fixed mass) is solely a consequence of working. For an ideal gas and for most atmospheric systems, compression results in warming, expansion results in cooling.

adjective rating FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

A public information description of the relative severity of the current fire danger situation.

Administrative Payment Team IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

A team that supports incident agencies by processing payments for resources. Resources may include emergency equipment, casuals, local vendors for supplies, etc.

Administrative Representative IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Individual responsible for incident agency business management functions, such as personnel, procurement, fiscal, etc.

administrative workweek IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

Period of seven consecutive calendar days designated in advance by the head of a department (5 U.S.C. 6101(a)).

Administratively Determined IBC Incident Business Committee Approved

A person hired and compensated under the Pay Plan for Emergency Workers.

admission CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Oral or written statement tending to link its maker to involvement in a particular crime.

adolescent (13-17) CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
adult (18+) CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development
Advanced Life Support RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

Advanced life support skills performed by an EMS practitioner or service, e.g. intravenous fluids and drug administration.

advancing a line IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee Approved

Moving a hose lay toward a specified area from the point where the hose-carrying apparatus has stopped.

advancing fire WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee Approved

That portion of the fire with rapid fire spread with higher intensity which is normally burning with the wind and/or up slope.

advancing front combustion stage FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee Approved

The period of combustion when a fire is spreading, usually accompanied by flaming combustion that releases heat to sustain the convection column.

advection FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee Approved

According to the American Meteorological Society, the process of transport of an atmospheric property solely by the mass motion of the atmosphere; also the rate of change of the value of the advected property at a given point.

Advisory RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

A time-sensitive alert from an NWCG Committee to the wildland fire community regarding procedural changes, equipment information and/or use updates, potential safety hazards, etc. Yellow hash-marked bordered stationary will be associated with this type of alert.

Adze Hoe ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

A fire-trenching or digging tool having a sharp, tempered blade, which is useful for heavy grubbing, trenching, and light cutting.

aerial detection IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee Approved

A system for, or the act of discovering, locating, and reporting fires from aircraft.

aerial fireworks CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development

Explode or create an aerial flash. The hot remains of an aerial firework may land in flammable vegetation and ignite a fire.
 
 

aerial fuels FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee Approved

Standing and supported live and dead combustibles not in direct contact with the ground and consisting mainly of foliage, twigs, branches, stems, cones, bark, and vines.

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How to Print or Download Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Modified / Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated, NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430

Date: March 11, 2025
Contact: Fire Use Subcommittee
Wildland Fire Module Unit

The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430 standardizes procedures and expectations for Wildland Fire Modules (WFMs). These standards are to be used by staff, supervisors, specialists, and technicians for planning, administering, and conducting WFM operations. These standards will also be used as a measure of WFM qualifications, capabilities, and expected performance, for both Type 1 and Type 2 WFMs.

References:

NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Module Operations, PMS 430

NEW! NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514

Date: March 7, 2025
Contact: National Interagency Aviation Committee

The NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514 establishes the standards for dispatching, utilizing, and coordinating airtankers on interagency wildland fires. These standards should be used in conjunction with the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision (SAS), PMS 505, NWCG Standards for Airtanker Base Operations (SABO), PMS 508, and any applicable agency plans.

References:

NWCG Standards for Airtanker Operations, PMS 514

Incident Position Standards and Next Gen Position Task Books Now Available for Dispatch Incident Positions

Date: March 5, 2025
Contact: National Coordination System Committee

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for all six Dispatch positions:

  • Aircraft Dispatcher
  • Expanded Dispatch Coordinator
  • Expanded Dispatch Recorder
  • Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher
  • Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher
  • Initial Attack Dispatcher

The Performance Support Packages for these positions, including the Expanded Dispatch Job Aid, J-601 and the Initial Attack and Aircraft Dispatcher Job Aid, J-602, were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1.

References:

NWCG Aircraft Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Coordinator Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Recorder Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Initial Attack Dispatcher Position Page 

NWCG Job Aids 

Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books Now Available for DMOB, DOCL, and RESL

Date: February 28, 2025
Contact: Incident Operations Subcommittee

NWCG is excited to announce that Incident Position Standards and the Next Generation Position Task Books are now available for Demobilization Unit Leader (DMOB), Documentation Unit Leader (DOCL), and Resources Unit Leader (RESL).

The Performance Support Packages for these positions, including a job aid for RESL, were developed as part of the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. These resources support trainees, qualified personnel, and evaluators in their respective roles.

Any changes to qualification pathways will take effect with the next update of the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications, PMS 310-1.

References:

NWCG Demobilization Unit Leader Position Page 

NWCG Documentation Unit Leader Position Page 

NWCG Resources Unit Leader Position Page