|
Glossary / Terminology / Abbreviations
A
AA -
Air Attack - Command Aircraft that directs all the Air Resources
over a fire (normally a Pilot and Batt. Chief)
A Big Yellow McCloed - A Dozer
digging line
AB - Air
Base
Ac (ac) - Acre (s) - A measurement
of land; One acre comprises 4,840 sq. yds or 66 ft. X 660 ft.
AC - Area Commander ; Aircraft
ACDR - Area Commander
ACT - Area Command Team
Aerial Fuels - All live and dead
vegetation in the forest canopy or above surface fuels, including tree
branches, twigs and cones, snags, moss, and high brush.
AEU - Amador / El Dorado Unit -
CALFIRE
AIRIS - Aerial Infrared Imaging
System
Air Attack - The deployment of
fixed-wing or rotary aircraft on a wildland fire, to drop retardant or
extinguishing agents, shuttle and deploy crews and supplies, or perform
aerial reconnaissance of the overall fire situation
Air Attack Base - Permanent facility
at which aircraft are stationed for use in air attack operations
ALDS - Automatic Lightning Detection
System
Alidade - A sighting device used by
lookouts to determine the horizontal bearing and sometimes the vertical
angle of a fire from a lookout
ALS - Advanced Life Support -
Paramedic or EMT-II
Anemometer -
An instrument to measure wind speed
Angle of Char Indicators - Standing
fuels that are burned at an angle that indicates the direction of fire
spread.
ANF - Angeles National Forest
Anchor and Hold - A "big fire, big
water" interface firefighting tactic used when multiple structures
ignite and you're in danger of being overrun. It was developed by San
Bernardino firefighters after losing 280 homes to the 1980 Panorama Fire
and used it with some success during the Old Fire. One engine crew plugs
into a hydrant and uses their truck-mounted deck gun to pour 1,000
gallons per minute onto a blazing house, while another engine crew uses
bump-and-run tactics to protect nearby homes. SoCal CDF
Anchor Point - A strategic and safe
point, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to start
constructing fire line (or retardant line). An anchor point is used to
reduce the chance of firefighters being flanked by fire.
ARB - Air Resources Board
Area Ignition - Delineated area
surrounding a base which can be reached first by the ground or air
attack units
assigned to
the base
Arson - At common law, the malicious
and willful burning of another’s dwelling, outhouse or parcel; by most
modern statutes, the intentional and wrongful burning of someone else's,
or one's own, property. Frequently requires proof of malicious or
wrongful intent
Aspect - Cardinal direction toward
which a slope faces
ATGS - Air Tactical Group Supervisor
ATs - Air Tankers; A fixed-wing
aircraft equipped to drop fire retardant
AWS - Automated Weather Station
Azimuth - Horizontal angle or
bearing of a point measured clockwise from true (astronomic) north; a
circle graduated in 360 degrees in a clockwise direction from true
(astronomic) north.
B
Back Fire - A fire set along the
inner edge of a fire line to consume the fuel in the path of a wildfire
and/or change the direction of force of the fire's convection column
Backing Fire - Fire spreading, or
ignited to spread, into (against) the wind or down slope. A fire
spreading on level ground in the absence of wind is a backing fire. That
portion of the fire with slower rates of fire spread and lower intensity
normally moving into the wind and/or down slope
Back Pump - A portable sprayer with
hand-pump, fed from a liquid-filled container fitted with straps, used
mainly in fire and pest control. (See also Bladder Bag.)
BAER - Burned Area Emergency
Rehabilitation
Bambi Bucket - A collapsible bucket
slung below a helicopter. Used to dip water from a variety of sources
for fire suppression
Banking Snag - The act of throwing
mineral soil about the base of an unlighted snag to prevent its being
ignited by a surface fire.
Base - The part of the fire
perimeter opposite the head
Base Station - Desktop Radio or
Scanner; A fixed central radio dispatching station controlling movements
of one or more mobile units
BBD - BLM - Bakersfield District
BC - Battalion Chief
BCMG - Base Camp Manager
BDF - San Bernardino National Forest
BDU - San Bernardino Unit - CALFIRE
Bell Worm - A hot deep stump hole
BEU - Monterey / San Benito Unit -
CALFIRE
BI - Burn Index
BIA - Bureau of Indian Affairs
BIFC - Boise Interagency Fire Center
Black - Area that has already been
burned
Black Line - Pre-burning of fuels
adjacent to a control line before igniting a prescribed burn. Black
lining is usually done in heavy fuels adjacent to a control line during
periods of low fire danger to reduce heat on holding crews and lessen
chances for spotting across control line. In fire suppression, a black
line denotes a condition where there is no unburned material between the
fire line and the fire edge
Bladder Bag - A collapsible backpack
portable sprayer made of neoprene or high-strength nylon fabric fitted
with a pump.
BLM - Bureau of Land Management
Blow Down - An area of previously
standing timber which has been blown over by strong winds or storms
Blow Out / Up - A sudden
Acceleration of the Fire that has the potential to Jump the Fire line; A
sudden increase in fire intensity or rate of spread strong enough to
prevent direct control or to upset control plans
BLS - Basic Life Support - Normally
performed by EMTs
Bole - The trunk of a tree.
Bone Yard - A mop up term. To "bone
yard" a fire means to systematically work the entire area, scraping
embers off remaining fuel, feeling for heat with the hands, and piling
unburned materials in areas cleared to mineral soil. An area cleared to
mineral soil for piling unburned fuels
Bowles Bag - A neoprene tank
designed for attachment to the landing skid frame of a helicopter. It
has a capacity of 80 to 100 gallons (303 to 378 liters) of water or
retardant
Bowling for Hot Shots - Any time
(either by natural causes or an inadvertent human cause) a large rock,
log etc tumbles down hill scattering people working below. The decibel
level of any verbal warning is in direct proportion to the mass of the
falling object
Box Canyon - A steep dead end canyon
BR - Base Repeater
Branch - The organizational level
having functional or geographical responsibility for major parts of
incident operations. The branch level is organizationally between
section and division/group in the operations section, and between
section and unit in the logistics section. Branches are identified by
roman numerals or by functional name (e.g. service, support).
Branch Director - Person under the
direction of the operations section chief who is responsible for
implementing that portion of the incident action plan appropriate to the
branch
Break Over - A fire edge that
crosses a control line or natural barrier intended to confine the fire
Brush Hook - A Hand Tool; A heavy
cutting tool designed primarily to cut brush at the base of the stem.
Used in much the same way as an axe and having a wide blade, generally
curved to protect the blade from being dulled by rocks
BTU - Butte Unit - CALFIRE
Buffer Zone - An area of reduced
vegetation that separates wildlands from vulnerable residential or
business developments. This barrier is similar to a greenbelt in that it
is usually used for another purpose such as agriculture, recreation
areas, parks, or golf courses
Buggie - A Crew Bus, Crew Haul or
Transport
Bump the Line - As in "when the fire
bumps the line", that is it tests the containment line. Embers or
flaming brands may spot or roll over the line, spreading the fire and
delaying containment
Bump and Run - A highly mobile
tactic used in interface structure protection. You don't put any more
than 150 feet of hose on the ground and you don't hook up to a hydrant,
so if the fire moves, you can move with it.
Bump up Method - A progressive
method of building a fire line on a wildfire without changing relative
positions in the line. Work is begun with a suitable space between
workers. Whenever one worker overtakes another, all workers ahead move
one space forward and resume work on the uncompleted part of the line.
The last worker does not move ahead until completing his or her space.
Burning Index - An estimate of the
potential difficulty of fire containment as it relates to the flame
length at the most rapidly spreading portion of a fire's perimeter.
Burn Out - Setting fire inside a
control line to widen it or consume fuel between the edge of the fire
and the control line
Burn Over - A situation where
personnel or equipment is caught in an advancing flame front
C
Cache - A pre-determined complement
of tools, equipment and/or supplies stored in a designated location,
available for incident use
CALCORD - California Coordination -
used by fire-EMS-police
CALEMA - New Name for Office of
Emergency Services (OES) - California
CALFIRE - New Name for California
Department of Forestry - CDF
CAMAC - California Multi-Agency
Command
Candle or Candling - A single tree
or a very small clump of trees which is burning from the bottom up
Canopy - The uppermost spreading,
branchy layer of vegetation
Cardinal Points - The 4 points on a
Compass - North, South, East, West
CCAD - CHPs Web Site
CCD - BLM - Central California
District
CDCR - California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation
CDF - The old Name for California
Department of Forestry
Center Firing - Method of broadcast
burning in which fire is ignited in the center of the area to create a
strong draft; additional fires are then ignited progressively nearer the
outer control lines (sometimes in one step) as indraft increases so as
to draw the flames and smoke toward the center.
Chains - A Measurement of Distance -
A Chain Equals 66 Ft.(20 M) (80 chains equal 1 mile). Commonly used to
report fire perimeters and other fireline distances, this unit is
popular in fire management because of its convenience in calculating
acreage (e.g., 10 square chains equal one acre).
Check Line - A temporary fireline
constructed at right angles to the control line and used to hold a
backfire in
check as a
means of regulating the heat or intensity of the backfire
Chevron Burn - Burning technique in
which lines of fire are started simultaneously from the apex of a ridge
point, and progress downhill, maintaining position along the contour;
used in hilly areas to ignite ridge points or ridge ends
Chimney - When a fire is funneled up
through a Canyon
CIIMT - California Interagency
Incident Management Team
Clock Count or Method - The nose of
any plane is 12 O'Clock, Tail 6 O'Clock, Right side of the plane looking
from the tail forward 3 O'Clock, Left side 9 O'Clock, etc
CNF - Cleveland National Forest
Cold Trailing - Making sure the fire
is dead out by testing for hotspots with your hands
Column Collapse - These columns
collapse once the heat generated at the surface by the fire is no longer
sufficient to maintain an updraft. This can potentially happen at any
time, and many columns (like showers and thunderstorms) go through many
collapses and regeneration stages in any given day; As for telltale
signs of collapse: If a column once looked impressive, and no longer
does, pay close attention to the skies. Once those incredible updrafts
that we see in these videos disappear, all that air + moisture +
particulate matter begins to fall to the ground and creates erratic
winds in the form of a downdraft.
Com. - Command Frequencies for IC to
run a fire on to clear the Normal Channel for regular use.
COMC - Communications Coordinator
Complex - Two or more individual
incidents located in the same general area which are assigned to a
single incident commander or unified command
Configuration - How a helicopter is
equipped, ie. Bambi Bucket or tanked
Conflagration - A raging,
destructive fire. Often used to connote such a fire with a moving front
as distinguished from a fire storm
Contained - When a fire has a
natural barrier, dozer line, wet line, roads, scratch line, Retardant
line, etc around it to keep it from spreading
Control Line - An inclusive term for
all constructed or natural fire barriers and treated fire edge used to
control a fire's spread
Controlled - When referring to a
fire: The complete extinguishment of a fire, including spot fires.
Fireline has been strengthened so that flare-ups from within the
perimeter of the fire will not break through this line.
Convergence - The term for
horizontal air currents merging together or approaching a single point,
such as at
the center
of a low pressure area producing a net inflow of air. When this occures
in the lower atmosphere, the excess air is removed by rising air
currents. Expansion of the rising air above a convergence zone results
in cooling, which in turn often gives condensation (clouds) and
sometimes precipitation
Coordinates - The intersection of
lines of reference, usually expressed in degrees/minutes/seconds of
latitude and longitude, used to determine or report position or location
Coverage Level - Density of
retardant in drop. Normally ranges from 1 to 7 and represents the number
of gallons in a 100 square foot area; Recommended amount of aerially
applied retardant keyed to the NFDRS fuel models and/or fire behavior
models. Coverage level 2 represents 2 gallons of retardant per hundred
square feet. Levels range from 1 to 6 for most fuel models. A coverage
level of greater than 6 is for heavy fuels. The levels can be adjusted
for fire behavior.
Counter Fire - Fire set between main
fire and backfire to hasten spread of backfire. Emergency firing to
stop, delay, or split a fire front, or to steer a fire.
Coyote Tactics - A progressive line
construction duty involving self-sufficient crews that build fire line
until the end of the operational period, remain at or near the point
while off duty, and begin building fire line again the next operational
period where they left off.
Creeping Fire - Fire burning with a
low flame and spreading slowly
Crew
- A group of firefighters
operating as a unit, such as handcrew, engine crew, hotshot crew,
helitack crew, etc.
Cross Bearing - Intersecting lines
of sight from two points to the same object, frequently used to
determine location of a fire from lookouts
Crown Cover - The ground area
covered by the crown of a tree as delimited by the vertical projection
of its outermost perimeter
Crown Fire - A fire that advances
from top to top of trees or shrubs
Crown Out
-
The ground area covered by
the crown of a tree as delimited by the vertical projection of its
outermost perimeter
Crowning in the Leaf Litter -
Oak/hickory type fire with 2 foot flame lengths
Crown Scorch
-
Browning of needles or
leaves in the crown of a tree or shrub caused by heating to lethal
temperature during a fire. Crown scorch may not be apparent for several
weeks after the fire
CRWB - Crew Boss
Cup Trench
-
A fireline trench on the
downhill side of fire burning on steep slopes that is supposed to be
built deep enough to catch rolling firebrands that could otherwise start
fire below the fireline. A high berm on the outermost downhill side of
the trench helps the cup trench catch material.
Curing - Drying and browning of
herbaceous vegetation or slash
CWCG - California Wildland Fire
Coordinating Group
CWN - Call When Needed - Private
Equipment
CYA - California Youth Authority
CZU - San Mateo / Santa Cruz Unit -
CALFIRE.
D
Daily Activity Level
-
Part of the National Fire
Danger Rating System (NFDRS). In fire danger rating, a subjective
estimate of the degree of activity of a potential human-caused fire
source relative to that which is normally experienced. Five activity
levels are defined: none, low, normal, high, and extreme
Dead Fuels
- Fuels with no living tissue in which
moisture content is governed almost entirely by atmospheric moisture
(relative humidity and precipitation), dry-bulb temperature, and solar
radiation.
Deep Seated Fire
-
A fire burning far below
the surface in duff, mulch, peat, or other combustibles as contrasted
with a surface fire.
Defensible Space - An area either
natural or manmade where material capable of causing a fire to spread
has been treated, cleared, reduced, or changed to act as a barrier
between an advancing wildland fire and the loss to life, property, or
resources. In practice, "defensible space" is defined as an area a
minimum of 100 feet around a structure that is cleared of flammable
brush or vegetation
Degradation
-
In a discussion of fire
retardant slurries, deterioration of viscosity
Deployment Zone - Deployment zones
are last ditch areas where fire shelters must be deployed to ensure
firefighter survival due to the available space and/or fire behavior
conditions at the deployment zone location. Used when fire conditions
are such that escape routes and safety zones have been compromised
Dew Point - Temperature to which a
specified parcel of air must cool, at constant pressure and water-vapor
content, in order for saturation to occur. The dew point is always lower
than the wet-bulb temperature, which is always lower than the dry-bulb
temperature, except when the air is saturated and all three values are
equal. Fog may form when temperature drops to equal the dew point
DFMO - District Fire Management
Officer
Die Out Pattern Indicator - Fingers
or islands of less intensely burned areas or areas where the fire has
self extinguished
Direct Attack - Attacking the Fire
Directly (placing Water, Retardant directly on the Flames)
Directional Vectors - The physical
characteristics of the indicators that show the direction of fire
spread, i.e., advancing, backing, or lateral
Dirt Darts - Smoke Jumpers
Div. - Division of the fire;
Divisions are used to divide an incident into geographical areas of
operation. Divisions are established when the number of resources
exceeds the span-of-control of the operations chief. A division is
located with the Incident Command System organization between the branch
and the task force/strike team.
Divergence - The expansion or
spreading out of a horizontal wind field. Generally associated with high
pressure and light winds
DIVS - Division Supervisor
DMOB - Demobilization Leader
DNR - Department of Natural
Resources
DOA - Department of Agriculture
DOF - Department of Forestry
DOI - Department of Interior
Dope on a Rope - Helitack
Down Drafts - downward moving air is
the downdraft; The degree of atmospheric instability is one of the two
major factors in determining the strengths of thunderstorm updrafts and
downdrafts; vertical draft strengths basically determine the degree of
storm severity.
DOZB - Dozer Boss
Dozer - Any tracked tractor with a
Blade attached to the front
Dozer Line - A fire line constructed
by a Dozer
DPIC - Deputy Incident Commander
Draft - Drawing water from static
sources such as a lake, pond, cistern, river, etc. into a pump which is
above the level of the water supply.
Drainage - Area drained by a river
or stream. Usually includes at least one main canyon and several side
canyons
Draped Fuels - Needles, leaves, and
twigs that have fallen from above and have lodged on lower branches or
brush. Draped fuels are part of aerial fuels
Drift - Effect of wind on smoke,
retardant drops, paracargo, smokejumper streamers, etc.
Drip Torch - Hand-held device for
igniting fires by dripping flaming liquid fuel on the materials to be
burned; consists of a fuel fount, burner arm, and igniter. Fuel used is
generally a mixture of diesel and gasoline
Drop Pattern - The distribution of
an aerially delivered retardant drop on the target area in terms of its
length, width, and momentum (velocity x mass) as it approaches the
ground. The latter determines the relative coverage level of the fire
retardant on fuels within the pattern
Drop Point - The Point where and AT
and/or Helo starts his Retardant Drop
Drop Zone - The area around and
immediately above the target to be dropped on
Drought Index
- A number representing net effect of
evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation in producing cumulative
moisture depletion in
deep duff or upper soil layers
Dry Bulb -The Dry Bulb Temperature
refers basically to the ambient air temperature; The dry-bulb
temperature is an indicator of heat content
Dry Lightning - Thunderstorm in
which little or no precipitation reaches the ground.
Dry Mopping - Mixing dirt with
embers from a hot spot or chopped off a log, spreading them out until
feel no heat when cold trailing
Dry Run
- A trial pass over the target area by
a lead plane and/or an airtanker to pinpoint
target areas and warn ground personnel of the impending retardant or
extinguishing agent drop
Duff - The layer of decomposing
organic materials lying below the litter layer of freshly fallen twigs,
needles, and leaves and immediately above the mineral soil
E
EA - Extended Attack
Edge Firing - Method of burning in
which fires are set along the edges of an area and allowed to spread
inward
EMC - Equilibrium Moisture Content -
Moisture content that a fuel particle will attain if exposed for an
infinite period in an environment of specified constant temperature and
humidity. When a fuel particle reaches equilibrium moisture content, net
exchange of moisture between it and the environment is zero.
EMS - Emergency Medical Services
EMTs - Emergency Medical
Technicians; either I or IIs
ENF - El Dorado National Forest
Engine - A Fire Engine - Normally
Type 1 - 3
Entrapment - A situation where
personnel are unexpectedly caught in a fire behavior-related,
life-threatening position where planned escape routes or safety zones
are absent, inadequate, or compromised. An entrapment may or may not
include deployment of a fire shelter for its intended purpose. These
situations may or may not result in injury. They include "near misses."
Envelopment - Direct attack with
multiple anchor points, that allows for multiple points of attack.
Generally used as an engine tactic in the wildland urban interface
ERC - Energy Release Component - The
computed total heat released per unit area (British thermal units per
square foot) within the fire front at the head of a moving fire.
Escape Route - A preplanned and
understood route firefighters take to move to a safety zone or other
low-risk area, such as an already burned area, previously constructed
safety area, a meadow that won't burn, natural rocky area that is large
enough to take refuge without being burned. When escape routes deviate
from a defined physical path, they should be clearly marked (flagged).
ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
Exposure - Property that may be
endangered by a fire burning in another structure or by a wildfire.
Direction in which a slope faces, usually with respect to cardinal
directions. The general surroundings of a site with special reference to
its openness to winds
Extend - To drop retardant in such a
way that the load slightly overlaps and lengthens a previous drop.
"Extend your last drop
Extreme Fire Behavior -
"Extreme" implies a level of
fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of
direct control action. One of more of the following is usually involved:
high rate of spread, prolific crowning and/or spotting: , presence of
fire whirls, strong convection column. Predictability is difficult
because such fires often exercise some degree of influence on their
environment and behave erratically, sometimes dangerously.
Eyes in Green - Handcrew watching
the green side of the containment line that you don't want to burn so as
to be able to catch any spot fires
F
FAE - Fire Apparatus Engineer
Faller - A person on a Crew with a
chainsaw who is responsible for falling trees
FF - Fire Fighter
FHL - Fort Hunter Ligget
Final - Air Tanker or Helo will make
his drop on this pass (Example : Tanker 76 On Final)
Fingers- The long narrow tongues of
a fire projecting from the main body
Fire Break - A strip of land on
which the vegetation is removed to mineral soil for fire control
purposes.
Fire Cache - A supply of fire tools
and equipment assembled in planned quantities or standard units at a
strategic point for exclusive use in fire suppression.
Fire Front - The part of a fire
within which continuous flaming combustion is taking place. Unless
otherwise specified, the fire front is assumed to be the leading edge of
the fire perimeter. In ground fires, the fire front may be mainly
smoldering combustion.
Fire Load - The number and size of
fires historically experienced on a specified unit over a specified
period (usually one day) at a specified index of fire danger
Fire Pack - A one-person unit of
fire tools, equipment, and supplies prepared in advance for carrying on
the back
Fire Perimeter - The active burning
edges of a fire
Fire Plow - A heavy duty plowshare
or disc plow usually pulled by a tractor to construct a fireline
Fire Potential - The likelihood of a
wildland fire event measured in terms of anticipated occurrence of
fire(s) and management's capability to respond. Fire potential is
influenced by a sum of factors that includes fuel conditions (fuel
dryness and/or other inputs), ignition triggers, significant weather
triggers, and resource capability
Fire Shelter - An aluminized tent
offering protection by means of reflecting radiant heat and providing a
volume of breathable air in a fire entrapment situation. Fire shelters
should only be used in life-threatening situations, as a last resort.
Fire Storm
- Violent convection caused by a large
continuous area of intense fire. Often characterized by destructively
violent surface indrafts, near and beyond the perimeter, and sometimes
by tornado-like whirls.
Fire Triangle or Tetrahedron -
Instructional aid in which the sides of a triangle are used to represent
the three factors (oxygen, heat, fuel) necessary for combustion and
flame production; removal of any of the three factors causes flame
production to cease
Fire Weather Watch
- A term used by fire weather
forecasters to notify using agencies, usually 24 to 72 hours ahead of
the event, that current and developing meteorological conditions may
evolve into dangerous fire weather.
Fire Whirl - Spinning vortex column
of ascending hot air and gases rising from a fire and carrying aloft
smoke, debris, and flame. Fire whirls range in size from less than one
foot to more than 500 feet in diameter. Large fire whirls have the
intensity of a small tornado
Firing Out - The act of setting fire
to unburned fuels located between the control line and main fire in
burning out operations
Fixed Tank - A device mounted inside
or directly underneath an aircraft which can contain water or retardant
for dropping onto a fire
Fixed Wing - Air Tankers
FKU - Fresno / Kings Unit - CALFIRE
Flame Angle - Angle between the
flame at the leading edge of the fire front and the ground surface,
expressed in degrees
Flank Fire - A firing technique
consisting of treating an area with lines of fire set into the wind
which burn outward at right angles to the wind
Flank of the Fire - A side or sides
of the fire; The parts of a fire's perimeter that are roughly parallel
to the main direction of spread. The left flank is the left side as
viewed from the origin or base of the fire, looking toward the head
Flare Up - A sudden acceleration of
fire spread of intensity
Flash Fuels - Highly combustible
fine fuels such as grass, leaves, draped pine needles, fern, tree moss
and some kinds of slash, which ignite readily and are consumed rapidly
when dry
FLIR - Forward Looking Infrared -
Hand held or aircraft mounted device designed to detect heat
differentials and display their
images on a
video screen. FLIRs have thermal resolution similar to IR line scanners,
but their spatial resolution is substantially less; commonly used to
detect hot spots and flareups obscured by smoke, evaluate the
effectiveness of firing operations, or detect areas needing mopup
Floto Pump - A portable floating
pump (trade name)
Foam and Go - On a fast-moving
interface fire, the practice of foaming a house and leaving it; to get
out of the fire's way or to move on to foam or defend another house.
Often used when standing and defending the house puts the firefighters
at great risk or when many houses can be protected by foaming. Requires
engines equipped with CAFFS units
Forb - A plant with a soft, rather
than permanent woody stem, that is not a grass or grass-like plant
Forest - Is an area with a high
density of trees
Forward Rate of Spread
-
The speed with which a
fire moves in a horizontal direction across the landscape, usually
expressed in chains per hour or feet per minute
FRA - Federal Responsibility Area
FRF - Fremont National Forest
Fuel Bed - An array of fuels usually
constructed with specific loading, depth and particle size to meet
experimental requirements; also, commonly used to describe the fuel
composition in natural settings
Fuel Break - A wide strip or block
of land on which the vegetation has been permanently modified to a low
volume fuel type so that fires burning into it can be more readily
controlled
Fuel Loading - The amount of fuel
present expressed quantitatively in terms of weight of fuel per unit
area
Fuel Model - Simulated fuel complex
(or combination of vegetation types) for which all fuel descriptors
required for the solution of a mathematical rate of spread model have
been specified
Fuel Moisture Content
- The quantity of moisture in
fuel expressed as a percentage of the weight when thoroughly dried at
212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Furlong - A furlong is a measure of
distance
. It is equal to one-eighth of a
mile, 220
yards, 660
feet,
201.168 meters,
or 10
chains
G
GACC - Geographic Area Coordination
Center
Gobbler - Crown fire that's goin'
and blowin'. A firestorm that destroys everything in its path
Going Gunnysack - Describing a fire
that just grew big enough to assume the characteristics of a nuclear
bomb
Green
or Green Belt - Area of the Fire that has not Burned
Ground Pounders - Hand Crews
Ground Fuel - All combustible
materials below the surface litter, including duff, tree or shrub roots,
punchy wood, peat, and sawdust, that normally support a glowing
combustion without flame
H
Haines Index - An atmospheric index
used to indicate the potential for wildfire growth by measuring the
stability and dryness of the air over a fire
Hand Line - A fireline built with
hand tools by a crew or firefighters
Hang Up or Hanger - A situation in
which a tree is lodged in another, preventing it from falling to the
ground
Hard Line or Booster Line - Reel
Line (hose) on an Engine
Heal of the Fire - Back edge of the
fire
Head of the Fire - The most rapidly
spreading portion of a fire s perimeter, usually on the upslope side or
depending on the Wind Direction
Heavy Fuels - Heavy Brush to Timber
Hectacre - Is a unit of area equal
to 10,000 square meters (107,639 sq ft).
Helibase - The main location within
the general incident area for parking, fueling, maintaining, and loading
helicopters. The helibase is usually located at or near the incident
base
Heliport - A permanent facility for
the operation of helicopters which has been built to FAA standards and
which is marked on aeronautical charts. Natural resource agencies refer
to agency heliports as permanent helibases
Helispot - A temporary landing spot
for helicopters
Helitack - The use of helicopters to
transport crews, equipment, and fire retardants or suppressants to the
fire line during the initial stages of a fire
Helitack Crew - A group of
firefighters trained in the technical and logistical use of helicopters
for fire suppression
Helitorch
-
An aerial ignition device
hung from or mounted on a helicopter to disperse ignited lumps of gelled
gasoline. Used for backfires, burnouts, or prescribed burns
HFEO - Heavy Fire Equipment Operator
Hide the Iron, Playing Hide the Iron
- When there are FAR too many engines on a fire that's pretty much dead.
Spend most of the time looking for smokes that just aren't there. The
local district is charging the added iron to the fire so there are more
resources available for a new start
High Blading - A Dozer walking in
(travelling) with its Blade Up
Holding Action - Planned actions
required to achieve wildland prescribed fire management objectives.
These actions have specific implementation timeframes for fire use
actions but can have less sensitive implementation demands for
suppression actions
Hoods in the Woods - Inmate Crews
Hook
- Term used to describe making a turn from the flank and across the head.
Hose Lay - Arrangement of connected
lengths of fire hose and accessories on the ground, beginning at the
first pumping unit and ending at the point of water delivery
Hot Line the Fire
-
Go to where the fire burns and cut line
Hot Shots
- A highly trained fire crew used
mainly to build fireline by hand.
Hot Shot Taxi - Helicopter
Hot Shoveling - Working direct and
tossing dirt from the fire's edge onto the fire
Hot Spot - A particularly active
part of a fire
Hot Spotting - Reducing or stopping
the spread of fire at points of particularly rapid rate of spread or
special threat, generally the first step in prompt control, with
emphasis on first priorities
HTF - Humboldt-Toiyobe National
Forest
Humping It - Walking or hiking hard,
especially with a pack and/or equipment
Humus - Layer of decomposed organic
matter on the forest floor beneath the fermentation layer and directly
above the soil. It is that part of the duff in which decomposition has
rendered vegetation unrecognizable and mixing of soil and organic matter
is underway
HUU - Humboldt / Del Norte Unit -
CALFIRE
I
IAP - Incident Action Plan -
Contains objectives reflecting the overall incident strategy and
specific tactical actions and supporting information for the next
operational period. The plan may be oral or written. When written, the
plan may have a number of attachments, including: incident objectives,
organization assignment list, division assignment, incident radio
communication plan, medical plan, traffic plan, safety plan, and
incident map.
IC - Incident Commander
Ice Capping - Ice capping is just a
term firefighters use to describe a fire when the plume from a fire has
a distinct, bright white top to it. It takes a large size fire to
generate an ice cap, so it is an indicator from a distance as to exactly
how active a fire is and what it is currently doing
ICP - Incident Command Post
ICS - Incident Command System - The
combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedure and
communications operating within a common organizational structure, with
responsibility for the management of assigned resources to effectively
accomplish stated objectives pertaining to an incident.
IFR - Instrument Flight Rules -
Weather conditions below the minimum for flight under Visual Flight
Rules and therefore requiring the observance of instruments inside the
aircraft for controlling flight; generally considered to be less than
1000' AGL and 3 miles distant
IHC - Inter-Agency Hot Shot Crew
Ignition Component - Indicates the
probability of a firebrand producing a fire that will require
suppression action. The higher the ignition component, the greater the
chance that a catalytic converter, tossed cigarette or sparks from an
unattended burning brush pile will start a fire. High temperature and
low humidity are the major contributors to a high ignition component
IMT - Incident Management Team - The
incident commander and appropriate general and command staff personnel
assigned to an incident
Incendiary Device - Contrivance
designed and used to start a fire
Indirect Attack - Going indirect
means that firefighters construct fireline at a distance from the active
fire and may burnout to widen the line
Incident Command Team - The incident
commander and appropriate chief or command staff personnel assigned to
manage an incident
Incremental Drop - Air tanker drop
in which tank doors are opened in sequence so that fire retardant
cascades somewhat continuously.
Independent Crown Fire - A fire that
advances in the tree crowns alone, not requiring any energy from the
surface fire to sustain combustion or movement
INF - Inyo National Forest
Infared Detection System - The use
of heat sensing equipment, known as Infrared Scanners, for detection of
heat sources that are not visually detectable by the normal surveillance
methods of either ground or air patrols
Initial Attack - The actions taken
by the first units to arrive at a wildfire to protect lives and
property, and prevent further extension of the fire
Inversion Layer - an inversion is a
layer of very stable air where the temperature increases with increase
in altitude, inversions act as a lid and severely limit the amount of
vertical motion in the atmosphere.
Island - An unburned area within a
fire perimeter
J
Jettison
- Disposing of water or retardant overboard to lighten an
aircraft or helicopter
Jumper - A firefighter who travels
to fires by aircraft and parachutes into the fire area
K
KBDI - Keech Byram Drought Index -
Commonly-used drought index adapted for fire management
applications, with a numerical range from 0 (no moisture deficiency) to
800 (maximum drought).
Kennel Up - Get on the Buggie
KNF - Klamath National Forest
Knock Down - To reduce flame or head
in a specified target. Indicates the retardant load should fall directly
on the burning perimeter or object
KNP - Kings Canyon National Park
KRN - Kern County Fire
L
Ladder Fuels - Commonly-used drought
index adapted for fire management applications, with a numerical range
from 0 (no moisture deficiency) to 800 (maximum drought).
LAL - Lightning Activity Level; A
number, on a scale of 1 to 6, that reflects frequency and character of
cloud-to-ground lightning. The scale is exponential, based on powers of
2 (i.e., LAL 3 indicates twice the lightning of LAL 2).
LAC - Las Angeles County
Land Mine - The results of someone
taking a dump in the woods or along the fireline. Also known as a
Cornback Rattlesnake
Large Fire - For statistical
purposes, a fire burning more than a specified area of land e.g., 300
acres
LAT - Large Air Tanker
Lat. - Latitude; Lines of Latitude
are the horizontal lines shown running east-to-west on maps, ranging
from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles (90° N or +90° for the North
Pole and 90° S or −90° for the South Pole).
Lawn Darts - Smoke Jumpers
LCES - Look Outs, Communications,
Escape Routes, Safety Zones
Lead Plane - an Airplane used, under
the Direction of the AA, to show the ATs where to place there Retardant
Loads on a fire; Aircraft with pilot used to make trial runs over the
target area to check wind, smoke conditions, topography and to lead air
tankers to targets and supervise their drops
LG - Local Government
Light Engine - Normally a Type 4 - 6
Light (Fine) Fuels - Normally
grasses to light brush; These fuels readily ignite and are rapidly
consumed by fire when dry.
Limbing - Removing branches from a
felled or standing tree, or from brush
Line Cutter - Fire crew member in
the progressive method of line construction who cuts and clears away
brush, small saplings, vines, and other obstructions in the path of the
fireline; usually equipped with ax or brush hook, or pulaski
Litter - Top layer of the forest,
scrubland, or grassland floor, directly above the fermentation layer,
composed of loose debris of dead sticks, branches, twigs, and recently
fallen leaves or needles, little altered in structure by decomposition
Live Fuels - Living plants, such as
trees, grasses, and shrubs, in which the seasonal moisture content cycle
is controlled largely by internal physiological mechanisms, rather than
by external weather influences
LMU - Lassen / Modoc Unit - CALFIRE
LNP - Lassen National Park
LNU - Lake / Napa / Sonoma Unit -
CALFIRE
LO - Look Outs; Look Out Tower
Load and Hold - An order given to
the airtanker pilot to pick up another load of retardant or water and
hold at the reload base. The tanker is still committed to the fire.
Load and Return - Order given to the
air tanker pilot to pick up another load of fire retardant or water and
return to the fire
Long Term Retardant - Chemical that
inhibits combustion primarily through chemical reactions between
products of combustion and the applied chemicals, even after the water
component has evaporated. Other chemical effects also may be achieved,
such as film-forming and intumescence
Log. - Logisics
Long. - Longitude; It is the angular
(Vertical) distance measured east or west and usually expressed in
degrees (or hours), minutes, and seconds, from the Prime Meridian.
Low Pass - Low altitude run over the
targeted area. May be used by air attack or lead plane to get a close
look at the target or to show a tanker pilot a target which is difficult
to describe. May be used by tanker pilot to get a better look at the
target or to warn ground personnel of an impending drop
LRA - Local Responsibility Area
LZ - Landing Zone
M
MAFFS - Modular Airborne
Firefighting System - A manufactured unit consisting of five
interconnecting tanks, a control pallet, and a nozzle pallet, with a
capacity of 3,000 gallons, designed to be rapidly mounted inside an
unmodified C-130 (Hercules) cargo aircraft for use in dropping retardant
on wildland fires.
Main Ridge - Prominent ridgeline
separating river or creek drainages. Usually has numerous smaller ridges
(spur ridges) extending outward from both sides
Mattock - Hand tool with a narrow
hoeing surface at one end of the blade and a pick or cutting blade at
the other end; used for digging and grubbing
McLeod - A Hand Tool; 1/2 Brush
Rake, 1/2 Scraping Blade (Wide Hoe)
MCP - Marine Corp Pendleton
Medium Fuels - Light Brush to Medium
Brush
Micro-REMS - Micro-Remote
Environmental Monitoring System - Mobile weather monitoring station. A
Micro-REMS usually accompanies an incident meteorologist and ATMU to an
incident
Mineral Soil - Soil layers below the
predominantly organic horizons; soil with little combustible material
MNF - Mendocino National Forest
MMU - Madera / Mariposa / Merced
Unit - CALFIRE
MNU - Mendocino Unit - CALFIRE
MOB - Radio or scanner mounted in a
vehicle
Mobile Attack - To Attack a fire
with an Engine while moving
Monsoons - Climate characterized by
(a) a long winter-spring dry season which includes a "cold season"
followed by a short "hot season" immediately preceding the rains, (b) a
summer and early autumn rainy season which is usually very wet (but
highly variable (but highly variable from year to year), and (c) a
secondary maximum of temperature immediately after the rainy season
Mop Shots - Hotshots who are
complaining about being held for a mop up shift. Fedfire
or Type 2
AD Crews mopping up
Mop Up - To make a fire safe or
reduce residual smoke after the fire has been controlled by
extinguishing or removing burning material along or near the control
line, felling snags, or moving logs so they won't roll downhill.
MR - Mountain Top Repeater
MRA - Mutual Response Area
MRN - Marin County Fire - (Contract
County to CALFIRE)
MVU - San Diego / Imperial Unit -
CALFIRE
N
Nativity Scene - A group of Chiefs,
3 or more, (usually Local Agency) that stand around and watch a wildfire
running. They usually have their arms crossed and thoughtful expression
on their faces
NEU - Nevada / Yuba / Placer Unit -
CALFIRE
NFDRS - National Fire Danger Rating
System - A uniform fire danger rating system that focuses on the
environmental factors that control the moisture content of fuels..
NIFC - National Interagency Fire
Center - Based in Boise, ID
NOD - BLM - Northern Operations
District
NO OPs - North Operations
O
OES - Office of Emergency Services
(Now Named CALEMA)
One Lick Method - A progressive
system of building a fireline on a wildfire without changing relative
positions in the line. Each worker does one to several "licks", or
strokes, with a given tool and then moves forward a specified distance
to make room for the worker behind
Open Line - Refers to open fire
front where no line has been constructed
Operational Period - The period of
time scheduled for execution of a given set of tactical actions as
specified in the Incident Action Plan. Operational periods can be of
various lengths, although usually not more than 24 hours
Orange Herd - CALFIRE Inmate Crew
Orbit - A circular holding pattern
of an aircraft around a fixed location often related to a wildland fire.
ORC - Orange County
Origin - The point where the fire
started
OS - On Scene
Osborne Fire Finder - A sighting
device used by lookouts to determine the horizontal bearing and
sometimes the vertical angle of a fire from a lookout
OSCC -
Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center (OSCC) is
the focal point for coordinating the mobilization of resources for
wildland fire and other incidents throughout the Geographic Area.
Located in Riverside, CA, the Center also provides Intelligence and
Predictive Services related-products designed to be use by the internal
wildland fire community for purposes of wildland fire and incident
management decision-making.
Overwintering Fire - A fire that
persists through the winter months until the beginning of fire season
P
Pack Test - Used to determine the
aerobic capacity of fire suppression and support personnel and assign
physical fitness scores. The test consists of walking a specified
distance, with or without a weighted pack, in a predetermined period of
time, with altitude corrections
Parallel Attack - Method of fire
suppression in which fireline is constructed approximately parallel to,
and just far enough from the fire edge to enable workers and equipment
to work effectively, though the fireline may be shortened by cutting
across unburned fingers. The intervening strip of unburned fuel is
normally burned out as the control line proceeds but may be allowed to
burn out unassisted where this occurs without undue delay or threat to
the fireline
Passive Crown Fire - A fire in the
crowns of trees in which trees or groups of trees torch, ignited by the
passing front of the fire. The torching trees reinforce the spread rate,
but these fires are not basically different from surface fires
Pat. - Patrols (light engines)
normally type 4 - 6
Pecker Pole - Small diameter tree,
tall and skinny
Pigs are Going to Die - Means that
there's a big fire, with a big base camp. With pork served every meal,
it takes a lot of dead pigs to supply meat to the camp
Pincer Attack - Direct attack around
a fire in opposite directions by two or more attack units. Usually
conducted from the fire's tail to head
Ping-Pong Ball System - Mechanized
method of dispensing DAIDs (Delayed Aerial Ignition Devices) at a
selected rate. The DAIDs are polystyrene balls, 1.25 inches in diameter,
containing potassium permanganate. The balls are fed into a dispenser,
generally mounted in a helicopter, where they are injected with a
water-glycol solution and then drop through a chute leading out of the
helicopter. The chemicals react thermally and ignite in 25-30 seconds.
The space between ignition points on the ground is primarily a function
of helicopter speed, gear ratio of the dispenser, and the number of
chutes used (up to four).
Piss Pump - Backpack pump
Plow Line - Fireline constructed by
a fire plow, usually drawn by a tractor or other motorized equipment
PNF - Plumas National Forest
Pole Patch - An area of downed and
crisscrossed blowdown trees, generally but not always lodgepole
Pongee Sticks - When you’re doing a
first pass line clearing with a machete or brush hook and it leaves
those thumb-thick sticks cut off at an angle, about six inches off the
ground…you get those on a sidehill and they’re just sucking chest wounds
waiting to happen
Prescribed Burn - Any fire ignited
by management actions under certain, predetermined conditions to meet
specific objectives related to hazardous fuels or habitat improvement. A
written, approved prescribed fire plan must exist, and NEPA requirements
must be met, prior to ignition
Pre-Treat - Laying a retardant line
in advance of the fire where ground cover or terrain is best for fire
control action, or to reinforce a control line
Psychrometer -
General name for instruments designed to determine the moisture
content of air. A psychrometer consists of dry- and wet-bulb
thermometers that give the dry- and wet-bulb temperatures, which in turn
are used to determine relative humidity and dew point
Pulaski - A Hand Tool; Trenching
tool 1/2 Axe, 1/2 Hoe
Q
Quadrangle - Mapping unit which
defines an area in terms of longitude and latitude distance. Two common
scales are 1:24,000 quadrangles, which are 7.5' longitude x 7.5'
latitude, and 1:62,500 quadrangles, which are 15' longitude x 15'
latitude
R
Radiant Heat Flux - The amount of
heat flowing through a given area in a given time, usually expressed as
calories/square centimeter/second
Rapelling - Technique of landing
specifically trained firefighters from hovering helicopters; involves
sliding down ropes with the aid of friction-producing devices
RAWS - Remote Automatic Weather
Station - An apparatus that automatically acquires, processes, and
stores local weather data for later transmission to the GOES Satellite,
from which the data is re-transmitted to an earth-receiving station for
use in the National Fire Danger Rating System
Reburn - The burning of an area that
has been previously burned but that contains flammable fuel that ignites
when burning conditions are more favorable; an area that has reburned
Recovery - The increase in fuel
moisture as a result of increased relative humidity, usually occurring
overnight. The general term used to describe the maximum overnight value
of atmospheric relative humidity.
Red Card - Fire qualification card
issued to fire rated persons showing their training needs and their
qualifications to fill specified fire suppression and support positions
in a large fire suppression or incident organization
Red Flag Warning - Term used by fire
weather forecasters to alert forecast users to an ongoing or imminent
critical fire weather pattern
Rehabilitation
or Rehab - The activities necessary
to repair damage or disturbance caused by wildland fires or the fire
suppression activity
Rekindle - Re-ignition due to latent
heat, sparks, or embers or due to presence of smoke or steam
Relay - Use of two or more fire
pumps to move water a distance which would require excessive pressures
in order to overcome friction loss if only one pump were employed at the
source
Reload Base
- An airfield where air tankers are reloaded but not permanently
stationed
Repeater - A radio signal station
that automatically relays a radio transmission, sometimes over a
different frequency, thereby increasing the range of transmission.
Repeaters are often named for the mountaintops or peaks where they are
installed
Resource Order - An order placed for
firefighting or support resources
Retardant - A substance or chemical
agent which reduced the flammability of combustibles
RH - Relative Humidity; The ratio of
the amount of moisture in the air, to the maximum amount of moisture
that air would contain if it were saturated. The ratio of the actual
vapor pressure to the saturated vapor pressure.
Rhino - A Hand Tool; A shovel with
the shovel head cut off and re-welded on at a 90 deg. angle
Ripper - A large fire
RMP - Resource Management Plan - A
document prepared by field office staff with public participation and
approved by field office managers that provides general guidance and
direction for land management activities at a field office. The RMP
identifies the need for fire in a particular area and for a specific
benefit.
Rock Roller - Dozer
Romper - A large fire
ROS -
Rate of Spread : Slow, Moderate, Rapid (Rule
of Thumb ; Slow - Slower than
an Average person can walk; Moderate
- At the same pace as a person can walk;
Rapid - Faster than a person can walk;
Critical - As fast as a normal person can run)
ROSS - Resource Ordering and Status
System, a new computer program used by dispatch
Rotor - Helicopters
Rotor Head - Helitack
Rough - The accumulation of living
and dead ground and understory vegetation, especially grasses, forest
litter, and draped dead needles, sometimes with addition of underbrush
such as palmetto, gallberry, and wax myrtle. Most often used for
southern pine types.
RP - Reporting Party
RRU - Riverside Unit - CALFIRE
Run - The rapid advance of the head
of a fire with a marked change in fire line intensity and rate of spread
from that noted before and after the advance.
Running - Behavior of a fire or
portion of a fire spreading rapidly with a well-defined head
RX - Receives (radio)
S
Saddle - Low gap or pass in a
ridgeline
Safety Zone - 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 a blowup in the vicinity.
Salvo - Dropping the entire load of
retardant at one time, or dropping a combination of tanks simultaneously
Santa Ana Winds - The Santa Ana
winds are strong, extremely dry offshore winds that characteristically
sweep through So. California in late fall into winter; Winds blow
clockwise around high pressure in the Northern Hemisphere, which means
that winds on the southern side of the high blow from the east toward
the Pacific Ocean, toward lower offshore air pressure. The easterly
winds push dry air from over the inland deserts of California and the
Southwest. The winds blow over the mountains between coastal California
and the deserts. As the wind comes down the mountains, it's compressed
and warms up. As the air warms, its relative humidity drops, sometimes
to less than 20% or lower. The extremely low humidity helps dry out
vegetation, making it a better fuel for fires. As the winds squeeze
through canyons and valleys they speed up, fanning flames. In addition,
as the winds whip over mountains and squeeze through canyons, friction
helps create eddies, or swirling winds.
SBC - Santa Barbara County
Scratch Line - A preliminary control
line hastily built with hand tools as an emergency measure to check the
spread of a fire.
Scorch Height - Average heights of
foliage browning or bole blackening caused by a fire
SCU - Santa Clara Unit - CALFIRE
SEAT - Single Engine Air Tanker
Secondary Line - A fire line built
some distance away from the primary control line, used as a backup
against slop-overs and spot fires.
Set - An individual incendiary fire.
The point or points of origin of an incendiary fire. Material left to
ignite an incendiary fire at a later time
Shaded Fuel break - 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
Shake and Bake - Slang for Fire
Shelter
SHF - Shasta / Trinity National
Forest
Short Range Spotting - Firebrands,
flaming sparks, or embers are carried by surface winds, starting new
fires beyond the zone of direct ignition by the main fire. The range of
such spotting is usually less than 1/4 mile.
Short-Term Fire Retardant - Fire
retardant that inhibits combustion primarily by the cooling and
smothering action of water. Chemicals may be added to the water to alter
its viscosity or retard its evaporation, thereby increasing its
effectiveness
Shoulder - Part of the Fire where
the Flank turns towards the Head of the fire
SHU - Shasta / Trinity Unit -
CALFIRE
Side Hilling - Following a contour
around a hill, usually on a steep slope
Simms Bucket - Self-leveling
helibucket slung under a helicopter which can be filled by hovering over
a water source
Size Class of Fire -
As to size of wildfire:
Class A -
one-fourth acre or less;
Class B -
more than one-fourth acre, but less than 10 acres;
Class C -
10 acres or more, but less than 100 acres;
Class D -
100 acres or more, but less than 300 acres;
Class E -
300 acres or more, but less than 1,000 acres;
Class F -
1,000 acres or more, but less than 5,000 acres;
Class G -
5,000 acres or more.
Size Up - To evaluate a fire to
determine a course of action for fire suppression
Skid Unit - A self-contained unit
consisting of a water tank, fire pump, and hose specially designed to be
carried on a logging skidder for use in forest fire suppression
SKU - Siskiyou Unit - CALFIRE
Slash - Debris left after logging,
pruning, thinning or brush cutting; includes logs, chips, bark,
branches, stumps and broken understory trees or brush.
Slimed - Hit by a load of Retardant
Sling Load - Any cargo carried
beneath a helicopter and attached by a lead line and swivel
Slop Over - A fire edge that crosses
a control line or natural barrier intended to contain the fire.
SLU - San Luis Obispo Unit - CALFIRE
Smoke Vent Height - Level, in the
vicinity of the fire, at which the smoke ceases to rise and moves
horizontally with the wind at that level.
SMKJ - Smoke Jumper
Smoldering Fire- Behavior of a fire
burning without flame and with a slow spread
Snag - A standing dead tree or part
of a dead tree from which at least the smaller branches have fallen
SNF - Sierra National Forest
Snorkel Tank - A fixed tank attached
to the belly of the helicopter that has a pump-driven snorkel attached.
The helicopter hovers over the water source with the end of the snorkel
immersed, the pump then fills the tank
SOA - Scene of Action
SO OPs - South Operations
Sortie - Single round trip made by
an air tanker from a tanker base to a fire and return
Split Drop - Retardant drop made
from one compartment at a time from an air tanker with a
multi-compartment tank
Spotter - In smokejumping, the
person responsible for selecting drop targets and supervising all
aspects of dropping smokejumpers
Spot Fire - A fire ignited outside
the perimeter of the main fire by flying sparks or embers
Spotting - Behavior of a fire
producing sparks or embers that are carried by the wind and start new
fires beyond the zone of direct ignition by the main fire.
Spot Weather Forecast - A special
forecast issued to fit the time, topography, and weather of each
specific fire. These forecasts are issued upon request of the user
agency and are more detailed, timely, and specific than zone forecasts.
Spread Component - Numerically
equivalent to the rate of spread of a fire in feet per minute in the
given fuel model. Spread component is most affected by fuel moisture and
wind speed, and increases greatly on warm, dry, windy days.
Spur Ridge - A small ridge which
extends finger-like, from a main ridge
SQF - Sequoia National Forest
SRA - State Responsibility Area
SRF - Six Rivers National Forest
ST - Strike Team; 5 - Engines, or 2
- Dozers, or 2 - Handcrews
Stack - Aircraft orbiting the
rendezvous area; usually refers to vertical deployments 500-foot (150 m)
altitudinal separation between aircraft
Staging Area (Staging) - Locations
set up at an incident where resources can be placed while awaiting a
tactical assignment on a three-minute available basis. Staging areas are
managed by the operations section.
STCR - Strike Team Leader Crew
STDZ - Strike Team Leader Dozer
STEN - Strike Team Leader Engine
STF - Stanislaus National Forest
Stump Humper - Horned tailed wasp,
dangerous in NM, but ubiquitous across the mountain west, Appalachia;
they are attracted to burning wood and smoke; they lay their eggs in
freshly charred wood
Sundowners - When the land is heated
hotter than the ocean, the wind blows from cold to hot, onshore. When
the land cools and becomes cooler than the water, the wind blows from
cooler to warmer surface temperatures, offshore. Put a fire on the land
and that can change the usual timing of the event. It is called a
Sundowner because it happens after sundown.
Surface Fire - Fire that burns
surface litter, other loose debris of the forest floor, and small
vegetation.
Surface Fuel - Loose surface litter
on the soil surface, normally consisting of fallen leaves or needles,
twigs, bark, cones, and small branches that have not yet decayed enough
to lose their identity; also grasses, forbs, low and medium shrubs, tree
seedlings, heavier branch wood, downed logs, and stumps interspersed
with or partially replacing the litter
Swamper - (1) A worker who assists
fallers and/or sawyers by clearing away brush, limbs and small trees.
Carries fuel, oil and tools and watches for dangerous situations. (2) A
worker on a dozer crew who pulls winch line, helps maintain equipment,
etc., to speed suppression work on a fire.
T
Tac. - Tactical, Tactics; Deploying
and directing resources on an incident to accomplish the objectives
designated by strategist
Tag On - Connecting a (airtanker)
drop to the forward part of a previous drop
Tandem - 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
Task Force - Same as a ST but with 2
- 3 engines instead of 5
T-Card - Cards filled out with
essential information for each resource they represent. The cards are
color coded to represent different types of resources
TCU - Tuolumne / Calaveras Unit -
CALFIRE
Team - The group of people who
manage large fire or smaller fires, for example Type 1 Interagency
Incident Management Team, Type 2 team, Type 3 Team. Composed of everyone
from IC to people handling Ops and Finances, etc. This is in contrast to
a Crew.
Terrain Driven Wildfire - A fire
driven by the topagraphy of the land, ie., fire runs faster up hill
(depending on wind)
Terra Torch - Device for throwing a
stream of flaming liquid, used to facilitate rapid ignition during burn
out operations on a wildland fire or during a prescribed fire operation
TFLD - Task Force Leader
TFR - Temporary Flight Restrictions
TGU - Tehama / Glenn Unit - CALFIRE
Throw Out - Soil pushed over the
edge of a fireline by a tractor plow or dozer; Also known as a berm
TIA - Tule Indian Authority
Tie In - To connect a retardant drop
or a dozer line in with a specified point (road, stream, previous drop,
etc.).
Timed Out - When a Person, Operator,
Pilot reaches the Max. hours they are allowed to work before they are
required to take time off before they will be allowed to work again
Tinder - Burnable organic material
(duff, peat, rotten wood, etc.) with a high surface to volume ratio
TMU - Lake Tahoe Management Unit
TNF - Tahoe National Forest
TOLC - Take-off and Landing Coordinator
- 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
Torching - The ignition and flare-up
of a tree or small group of trees, usually from bottom to top.
Tractor Plow - Any tractor with a
plow for constructing fireline by exposing mineral soil.
Trail - To drop tanks in sequence
causing a long unbroken line
Trench - A small ditch often
constructed below a fire on sloping ground (undercut or underslung line)
to catch rolling material
TRPB - Tractor Plow Boss
TTOP - Terra Torch Operator
TUU - Tulare Unit - CALFIRE
Turn the Corner - Contain a fire
along a flank of the fire and begin containing it across the head.
Refers to ground or air attack
TWP - Township
TX - Transmits (radio)
Type -1 - AT : 3000 + gals
retardant; P-3, DC-7, C-130, Martin Mars, DC-10, 747
Type -1 - Crew : Hot Shot Crews,
Trained Crews
Type -1 - Dozer : Heavy Dozers
Type -1 - Engine : 1000 + gpm, 400 +
gal., normally used for Structure Protection
Type -1 - Helo : 700 + Gal
Type -2 - AT : 1800 - 2999 gals
retardant; P2V, SP2H
Type -2 - Crew : Untrained Crews
Type -2 - Dozer ; Medium Dozer
Type -2 - Engine : 500 + gpm , 400 +
gal
Type -2 - Helo : 300 + gal
Type -3 - AT : 600 - 1799 gals
retardant; S-2T, CL-215, CL-415, AT-802
Type -3 - Dozer ; Light Dozer
Type -3 - Engine : 120 + gpm, 300 +
gal., normally used for Wildland fires (CALFIRE / USFS / BLM)
Type -3 - Helo : 100 + gal
Type -4 - AT : 100 - 599 gals
retardant; AT602, Thrush
Type -4 - Engine : 50 + gpm, 200 +
gal
U
UAC - Unified Area Command
UC - Unified Command
UI - Urban Interface
Underburn - A fire that consumes
surface fuels but not trees or shrubs
Up Drafts - The upward moving air in
a thunderstorm is known as the updraft; The degree of atmospheric
instability is one of the two major factors in determining the strengths
of thunderstorm updrafts and downdrafts; vertical draft strengths
basically determine the degree of storm severity.
USDA - United States Department of
Agriculture
USFS - United States Forest Service
UTF - Unable To Fill
UTL - Unable To Locate
V
Vectors - Directions of fire spread
as related to rate of spread calculations (in degrees from upslope).
V Pattern - To make two separate
drops in an overlapping configuration, usually to stop the head
VFR - Visual Flight Rules
Virga - Rain or showers that
evaporates before it reaches the ground
VLAT - Very Large Air Tanker; DC-10,
747, etc.
VNC - Ventura County
Vortex Turbulence - Miniature
whirlwinds trailing from the wingtips of any aircraft in flight. Vortex
will be in the form of a horizontal whirlwind with velocities up to 25
mph (40 km) per hour or more. Also created by action of rotor blades on
helicopters; these whirlwinds tend to move downward toward the ground.
If an aircraft flies low over a fire, vortices may reach the ground and
suddenly cause violent and erratic fire behavior
W
Water Dog - Steam rising from the
timber after a wet t-storm that has sent many a smokechaser on a wild
goose chase, as it can easily be confused for a "real" smoke.
Wet Bulb - is the temperature of
adiabatic saturation. This is the temperature indicated by a moistened
thermometer bulb exposed to the air flow; The wet bulb temperature is
always lower than the dry bulb temperature but will be identical with
100% relative humidity (the air is at the saturation line).
Wet Line - A line of water, or water
and chemical retardant, sprayed along the ground, that serves as a
temporary control line from which to ignite or stop a low-intensity
fire.
Wet Mopping - Mixing water with
embers from a hot spot, spreading them out until feel no heat when cold
trailing. Just watering from a piss pump is not enough, you have to stir
things around
Wet Water - Water with added
chemicals, called wetting agents, that increase water's spreading and
penetrating properties due to a reduction in surface tension
WFIP - Wildland Fire Implementation
Plan - A progressively developed assessment and operational management
plan that documents the analysis and selection of strategies and
describes the appropriate management response for a wildland fire being
managed for resource benefits
WFU - Wildland Fire Use; sometimes a
Fire Use Management Team is called in if the best use is to let the fire
burn to enhance the environment. See also WFRUB, the same thing
WGBCC - Western Great Basin
Coordination Center
Whizzer - Unseen rock that flies by
your head at night
Widow Maker - Slang for a Snag; A
loose limb or top or piece of bark lodged in a tree, which may fall on
anyone working beneath it.
Wildland / Urban Interface - The
line, area or zone where structures and other human development meet or
intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.
WIMS - Weather Information and
Management System - An interactive computer system designed to
accommodate the weather information needs of all federal and state
natural resource management agencies. Provides timely access to weather
forecasts, current and historical weather data, the National Fire Danger
Rating System (NFDRS), and the National Interagency Fire Management
Integrated Database (NIFMID).
Wind-driven Wildland Fire - A
wildland fire that is controlled by a strong consistent wind.
Wind Shear - A variation in wind
speed and/or direction in a layer of the atmosphere or between layers.
The variation may be in the horizontal or vertical dimensions and may
result in significant turbulence depending upon the magnitude of the
wind speed/direction differences. A strong wind shear may act like an
inversion and inhibit plume rise. It may also fracture the smoke plume,
not allowing smoke to rise much above terrain levels. A strong
horizontal anticyclonic shear results in downward motion and may bring
smoke aloft to the surface
Wind Vectors - Wind directions used
to calculate fire behavior
Wing Span - Term of measurement used
to adjust the path of a tanker
WOBS - Weather Observer
Woodland - an area covered in trees,
usually at low density, forming an open habitat, allowing sunlight to
penetrate between the trees, and limiting shade
WT - Water Tender: A ground vehicle
capable of transporting specified quantities of water. (Normally between
1000 - 4000 Gals.)
X
Y
YNP - Yosemite National Park.
Z |
