National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology |
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- Direction given by the operations section chief which includes the tactics appropriate for the selected strategy, the selection and assignment of resources, tactics implementation, and performance monitoring for each operational period.
- Deploying and directing resources on an incident to accomplish the objectives designated by strategy.
- Connecting a (airtanker) drop to the forward part of a previous drop.
- A small rotor, mounted on the tail of a conventional helicopter, which counteracts torque of the main rotor and provides a measure of directional control.
- Back step of a wildland or structural fire engine.
- Brief meetings held at the beginning, during, or end of an operational period to discuss new work assignments, new work methods, changes in plans, use of tools and equipment, and recognition and protection against work hazards that may be encountered.
Take-off and Landing Coordinator (TOLC)
- This ICS position is responsible for coordinating take-offs and landings of helicopters at a helibase and any helicopter movement around the helibase and reports to the Helibase Manager.
see also: Helibase
- Two or more units of any one type working one in front of the other to accomplish a specific fire suppression job; the term can be used in connection with crews of firefighters, power pumps, bulldozers, etc.
- Tanks, doors, and release mechanism installed in aircraft for cascading fire retardants.
- Specialized trailer on which is mounted a tank, fire pump, hose, and ancillary equipment.
- Specific portion of the fire on which fire retardant or water is to be dropped by air tankers or helitankers.
see also: Drop Zone
- Facilities in which there is great likelihood of loss of life or property.
- A unit of work activity that is a logical and necessary action in the performance of a behavior; how the behavior is demonstrated or performed in a particular context.
see also: Behavior
- Any combination of single resources assembled for a particular tactical need, with common communications and a leader. A Task Force may be pre-established and sent to an incident, or formed at an incident.
- The ICS position responsible for supervising a task force. Reports to a Division/Group Supervisor or Operations Section Chief.
see also: Task Force
- Cards filled out with essential information for each resource they represent. The cards are color-coded to represent different types of resources.
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Technical Advisory Unit
- This unit consists of advisors with special skills who are activated only when needed. Advisors may be needed in the areas of water resources, environmental concerns, resource use, and training.
- An individual with specialized job skills requiring no established minimum qualifications standards by the wildland fire community. THSP may perform the same duties during an incident that are performed in their regular job assignment with supplemental training in the Incident Command System and/or adaptations of their specialized skills for the incident environment that they are assigned. These specialized individuals whose skills may be gained through educational degree programs or industrial training required by established standards may be utilized anywhere within an incident organization.
- The relative change of some measurable quantity with change of temperature, like burning time per unit length, mostly expressed as mean change per degree in percentage of mean temperature within a certain range.
Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR)
- A restriction requested by an agency and put into effect by the Federal Aviation Administration in the vicinity of an incident which restricts the operation of nonessential aircraft in the airspace around that incident.
Ten-hour Timelag Fuel Moisture (10-h TL FM)
- The moisture content of the l0-hour timelag roundwood fuels.
- Dead fuels consisting of roundwood 1/4 to l-inch (0.6 to 2.5 cm) in diameter and, very roughly, the layer of litter extending from immediately below the surface to 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) below the surface.
see also: Ten-hour Timelag Fuel Moisture
- Device for throwing a stream of flaming liquid, used to facilitate rapid ignition during burn out operations on a wild fire or during a prescribed fire operation.
synonym: Flame Thrower
- Any premeditated, unlawful act dangerous to human life or public welfare that is intended to intimidate or coerce civilian populations or governments.
- A prescribed fire set to evaluate such things as fire behavior, fire effects, detection performance, or control measures.
- An area of mountainous slope (characteristically the middle third), where the top of the radiation inversion intersects the slope. It typically experiences the least variation in diurnal temperatures and has the highest average temperatures and, thus, the lowest relative humidity. Its presence is most evident during clear weather with light wind.
- The display or printout of an infrared scanner operating over a fire. Also called infrared imagery.
see also: Infrared
- Layer of clouds whose ratio of dense sky cover to total sky cover is 1/2 or less.
- Sky cover through which higher clouds or the sky can be detected.
- Any uncontrolled fire near to or heading toward an area under organized fire protection.
- Soil pushed over the edge of a fireline by a tractor plow or dozer.
see also: Berm
- Localized storm characterized by one or more electrical discharge(s).
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Tie-In
- Act of connecting a control line to another fireline or an intended firebreak.
- A device employed to allow a fire setter the opportunity to leave the scene prior to the ignition of the fire.
- 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.
- Functional unit within the Finance/Administration Section responsible for recording personnel time and managing the commissary.
- The ICS position responsible for supervising the Time Unit. Reports to the Finance/Administration Section Chief.
see also: Time Unit
- 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.
- 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.
- Burnable organic material (duff, peat, rotten wood, etc.) with a high surface to volume ratio.
- Nozzle tips used to change orifice size of a hose stream.
- Person responsible to the receiving/distribution manager for sharpening, servicing, and repairing hand tools.
- Ignition and subsequent envelopment in flames, usually from bottom to top, of a tree or small group of trees.
- To set fire to property deliberately and maliciously.
- A professional firesetter-for-hire.
- The burning of the foliage of a single tree or a small group of trees, from the bottom up.
synonym: Candling
- All plant material both living and dead that can burn in a worst case situation.
- The capability to move, position, and utilize established forces to meet existing and anticipated fire protection needs nationwide.
- Part of the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS). Sum of lightning and human-caused risk values; cannot exceed a value of 100.
Total Suspended Particulate Matter (TSP)
- Particles emitted from a pollution source regardless of size. Federal and state ambient and emission standards exist for TSP.
- That portion of a heliport or helispot where the helicopter lands.
- Relating to a harmful effect by a poisonous substance on the human body by physical contact, ingestion, or inhalation.
- A chemical or mixture that may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.
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- 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.
see also: Dozer ; Plow Line ; Tractor Plow
- Any tractor with a plow for constructing fireline by exposing mineral soil. Also as a resource for typing purposes, a tractor plow includes the transportation and personnel for its operation.
see also: Dozer ; Plow Line ; Tractor
- 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.
- An unbroken line of retardant used for constructing a retardant line.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The chief or other officer under the agency or department responsible for organizing and conducting a complete training program for the suppression agency.
- Person responsible to the planning section chief for coordinating the use of trainees on the incident and for assuring that the trainees meet their training objectives and receive performance evaluation reports.
- 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.
- In the 1978 version of NFDRS, the herbaceous stage when herbaceous fuel moisture is between 120% and 30%.
- Areas where the fire progress transitions from one direction to another which are characterized by change in the appearance of the indicators.
- 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.
- 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.
see also: Mixing Layer ; Ventilation Factor
- Base map of the planning unit showing all roads, trails, heliports, and airfields existing and programmed for construction.
- Compensable time en route to or from an emergency incident.
- Map showing the time required for the initial attack crew to reach various parts of a protection unit from specified positions.
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- A small ditch often constructed below a fire on sloping ground (undercut or underslung line) to catch rolling material.
- An elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, usually extending from the center of a low pressure system.
- Substantial transportation route for fire suppression motor vehicles, built prior to a fire. Also called fire road.
- Velocity of an aircraft in its flight path relative to the air through which it is moving.
- Bearing by true north rather than magnetic north.
- Irregular motion of the atmosphere usually produced when air flows over a comparatively uneven surface such as the surface of the earth; or when two currents of air flow past or over each other in different directions or at different speeds.
- Contain a fire along a flank of the fire and begin containing it across the head. Refers to ground or air attack.
- Time used by an air tanker or helitanker to reload and return to the fire.
- A coat with a fire resistant outer shell and a thermal and moisture barrier liner. Used primarily by structure firefighters. Also called fire coat.
- Radio equipment with transmitters in mobile units on the same frequency as the base station, permitting conversation in two directions using the same frequency in turn.
- Refers to resource capability. A Type 1 resource provides a greater overall capability due to power, size, capacity, etc., than would be found in a Type 2 resource. Resource typing provides managers with additional information in selecting the best resource for the task.
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