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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
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.

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.

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 FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee, IOSC Incident Operations 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 type CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

Type of 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.

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 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.

aerial ignition IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee, NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee Approved

Ignition of fuels by dropping incendiary devices or materials from aircraft.

Aerial Ignition Device NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee, ETC Equipment Technology Committee Approved

Inclusive term applied to equipment designed to ignite wildland fuels from an aircraft.

aerial reconnaissance IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee Approved

Use of aircraft for detecting and observing fire behavior, values-at-risk, suppression activity, and other critical factors to facilitate command decisions on strategy and tactics needed for fire suppression.

aerial torch IHOPS Interagency Helicopter Operations Subcommittee Approved

An ignition device suspended under a helicopter, capable of dispensing ignited fuel to the ground for assistance in burning out or backfiring.

affidavit CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee Approved

A statement of declaration in writing and affirmed before an official with authority to administer an oath; a statement of declaration alleging fact to support the issuance of a search or arrest warrant.

After Action Review RMC Risk Management Committee Approved

A structured review or de-brief process of an event, focused on performance standards, that enables participants to discover for themselves what happened, why it happened, and how to sustain strengths and improve on weaknesses. After action reviews, informal or formal, follow the same general format, involve the exchange of ideas and observations, and focus on improving performance.

age category CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee In Development

A way to group people based on their chronological age and their position in the life cycle as it relates to the age demographic. This information provides valuable insight to Communication, Education, and Prevention personnel in developing products to reach and educate on wildland fire prevention.

Agency

Above Region in hierarchy, Relates to Department

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Modified / Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

The Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book are now available for Status/Check-In Recorder (SCKN)

Date: August 27, 2024
Contact: Incident Planning Subcommittee 

NWCG is excited to announce that the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Status/Check-In Recorder, PMS 350-32, NWCG Position Task Book for Status/Check-In Recorder (SCKN), PMS 311-32, and Checking In Resources Customer Service Job Aid, J-111 are now available.

The Performance Support Package, which for SCKN includes the Incident Position Standards, Next Generation Position Task Book, and job aid were developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort. The Performance Support Package will support trainees, those qualified in the position, and evaluators.

References:

NWCG Status/Check-In Recorder Position Page

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Status/Check-In Recorder, PMS 350-32

NWCG Position Task Book for Status/Check-In Recorder (SCKN), PMS 311-32

Checking In Resources Customer Service Job Aid, J-111

The Next Generation Position Task Book and Incident Position Standards are now available for Safety Officer, Field (SOFF)

Date: July 26, 2024
Contact: Risk Management Committee 

NWCG is excited to announce that the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Safety Officer, Field, PMS 350-81 and NWCG Position Task Book for Safety Officer, Field (SOFF), PMS 311-81 are now available.

The Safety Officer, Field (SOFF) is responsible for monitoring operations on an incident from a risk management perspective to provide for the welfare of incident resources and the public. The new Incident Position Standards and Next Generation Position Task Book are developed through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization (IPTM) effort.

References:

NWCG Safety Officer, Field (SOFF) Position

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Safety Officer, Field, PMS 350-81

NWCG Position Task Book for Safety Officer, Field (SOFF), PMS 311-81

Updated NWCG Standards for Electronic Documentation (eDoc), PMS 277

Date: July 25, 2024
Contact: Incident Planning Subcommittee 

The Incident Planning Subcommittee has updated the NWCG Standards for Electronic Documentation (eDoc), PMS 277.

The NWCG Standards for Electronic Documentation (eDoc) establishes the standards for collection and retention of records on wildland fires. This July 2024 update will provide incident management teams the most current standards required to maintain incident records and submit them to host units at the close of an incident.

References:

NWCG Standards for Electronic Documentation (eDoc), PMS 277

eDoc Box Directory (zip file)

NWCG Off-Highway Vehicle Typing Standard Request for Comment

Date: July 24, 2024
Contact: Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee 

The Mobile Fire Equipment Subcommittee has released Equipment Bulletin 24-002 NWCG Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Typing Standard - Request for Comment. This bulletin outlines the proposed NWCG OHV typing standard, as well as the business need for establishing the standard. Comments on the proposed standard will be accepted through August 15th using the comment form linked below.

References:

ETC-EB-2024-02: NWCG Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Typing Standard - Request for Comment

NWCG Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Typing Standard Comment Form