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.

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Title	Steward	Status	Definition
fuel loading	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee, FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	The amount of fuel present expressed quantitatively in terms of weight of fuel per unit area. This may be available fuel (consumable fuel) or total fuel and is usually dry weight.
fuel management	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	Act or practice of controlling flammability and reducing resistance to control of wildland fuels through mechanical, chemical, biological, or manual means, or by fire, in support of land management objectives.
fuel model	FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	Simulated fuel complex for which all fuel descriptors required for the solution of a mathematical rate of spread model have been specified.
fuel modification	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	Manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition and/or to lessen potential damage and resistance to control (e.g., lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning).
fuel moisture analog	FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee	Approved	Device that emulates the moisture response of specific classes of dead fuels, constructed from organic or inorganic materials (e.g., half-inch ponderosa pine dowels representing ten-hour timelag fuels).
fuel moisture content	FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee	Approved	The quantity of moisture in fuel expressed as a percentage of the weight when thoroughly dried at 212 degrees F.
fuel moisture indicator stick	FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee	Approved	A specially prepared stick or set of sticks of known dry weight continuously exposed to the weather and periodically weighed to determine changes in moisture content as an indication of moisture changes in wildland fuels.
fuel reduction	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	Manipulation, including combustion, or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition and/or to lessen potential damage and resistance to control.
fuel size class	FBSC Fire Behavior Subcommittee	Approved	A category used to describe the diameter of down dead woody fuels. Fuels within the same size class are assumed to have similar wetting and drying properties, and to preheat and ignite at similar rates during the combustion process.
fuel temperature	FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	The temperature reading measured from a fuel stick fully exposed to sunlight, above a representative fuel bed, using one of two methods (within a 3/4-inch or across a 1/2-inch pine dowel).
fuel tender	NIAC National Interagency Aviation Committee, ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	Any vehicle capable of supplying engine fuel to ground or airborne equipment.
fuel treatment	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	Manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition and/or to lessen potential damage and resistance to control (e.g., lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning).
fuel type	FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	An identifiable association of fuel elements of distinctive species, form, size, arrangement, or other characteristics that will cause a predictable rate of spread or resistance to control under specified weather conditions.
fuels wet flag	FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee	Approved	A one-character code indicating whether or not fine fuels are wet or dry.
fugitive color	SEATB Single Engine Airtanker Board, IAB Interagency Airtanker Board	Approved	A coloring agent used in fire retardants that is designed to fade rapidly following retardant application in order to minimize the visual impacts of the retardant.
fulfillment comment	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Approved	Communication about the request and fulfilling that request
fulfillment status	IOSC Incident Operations Subcommittee	Approved	Indicates the state of the request.
full-thickness burn	RMC Risk Management Committee	Approved	A burn involving all the layer of the skin. Muscle layers below the skin and bones may also be damaged. Areas of the skin may be charred black or areas that are dry and white.
fume	RMC Risk Management Committee, FUSC Fire Use Subcommittee	Approved	An airborne irritating, noxious, or toxic smoke, vapor, or any combination of these produced by a volatile substance or a chemical reaction.
function	NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee	Approved	In ICS, function refers to the five major activities: command, operations, planning, logistics and finance/administration.
Funding Agency			agency providing funding for treatment or activity. May or may not be the same as location Agency.
Funding Department			Department providing funding for treatment or activity. May or may not be the same as location Department.
Funding Region			Region providing funding for treatment or activity. May or may not be the same as location Region.
Funding Source			For Fuels:List of available funding sources: Fuels Management Regular (FMReg), Fuels BIL Admin (FMBILAdmin), Fuels BIL Control Locations (FMBilControlLocations), Fuels BIL Laborers (FMBilLaborers), Fuels BIL Prescribed Fire (FMBilPrescribedFire), FuelsBIL Thinning (FMBilThinning), Fuels BIL Regular (FMBilReg), Fules Disaster Relief (FMDisasterRelief) For Post Fire:Fuels (all), Post-fire (ES), BAR (all), BIL (?), Fules Disaster Relief (FMDisasterRelief)?
Funding Sub Unit			SubUnit only displayed for BLM
Funding Tribe			Tribe displayed only for BIA
Funding Unit			Unit providing funding for treatment or activity. May or may not be the same as location unit.
fusee	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	A colored flare designed as a railway warning device, widely used to ignite backfires and other prescribed fires.
Gallons per Minute	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	The measure of water flow in firefighting. It is used to measure the output of wildland and structural fire engines, pumps, hose streams, nozzles, hydrants, and water mains.
gap	IASS Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee	Approved	Weak or missed area in a retardant drop or in a fireline.
gate valve	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	A valve with a gate-like disk that moves up and down at right angles to the flow when actuated by a stem screw and hand wheel. Gate valves are best for service that requires infrequent valve operation and where the disk is kept either fully open or closed.
gear pump	ETC Equipment Technology Committee	Approved	Positive displacement pump which uses closely meshed gears to propel water when high pressures and low volumes are desired; can be used safely only with clear water-- suspended particles of soil or rocks can quickly wear the gears and reduce pressure and volume of water.
general cause	CEPC Communication, Education, and Prevention Committee	Approved	Agency or circumstance which started a fire or set the stage for its occurrence.
general fire weather forecast	FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee	Approved	A forecast, issued daily during the regular fire season to resource management agencies, that is intended for planning of daily fire management activities, including daily staffing levels, prevention programs, and initial attack on wildfires.
General Origin Area	WFISC Wildland Fire Investigation Subcommittee	Approved	The larger area where the fire first established itself and is identified by an analysis of the fire behavior context, macroscale fire pattern indicators, and witness statements.
General Schedule Employee	IBC Incident Business Committee	Approved	A regular federal government employee who is compensated under the General Schedule (GS) Pay Plan.
General Staff	NIMSIC National Incident Management System Integration Committee	Approved	A group of incident personnel organized according to function and reporting to the Incident Commander or Unified Command. The ICS General Staff consists of the Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, Finance/Administration Section Chief.
general status	IPSC Incident and Position Standards Committee	Approved	Indicates whether the resource is available or unavailable to fill a capability request.
general winds	FWS Fire Weather Subcommittee	Approved	Large scale winds caused by high- and low-pressure systems but generally influenced and modified in the lower atmosphere by terrain.
geographic area	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Approved	A boundary designated by governmental agencies (wildland fire protection agencies) within which they work together for the interagency, intergovernmental planning, coordination, and operations leadership for the effective utilization of emergency management resources within their area. There are ten geographic areas. A listing of the areas can be found in the National Interagency Mobilization Guide, Chapter 70 along with listings of the Geographic Coordinating Areas and Geographic Area Coordination Centers.
geographic area code	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Approved	A code that identifies one of the wildland fire geographic areas.
Geographic Area Coordinating Group	FMB Fire Management Board	Approved	An interagency body of fire management representatives from each federal and state land management agency within a nationally recognized regional area that provides leadership and support to facilitate safe and efficient fire management activities. Working collaboratively, a GACG's mission is not only for wildland fire emergencies, but for other emergency incidents, as necessary.
Geographic Area Coordination Center		Approved
Geographic Area Coordination Center	NCSC National Coordination System Committee, FMB Fire Management Board	Approved	The physical location of an interagency, regional operation center for the effective coordination, mobilization and demobilization of emergency management resources. A coordination center serves federal, state and local wildland fire agencies through logistical coordination of resources throughout the geographic area, and with other geographic areas, as well. Listings of geographic coordination centers and their respective geographic coordinating areas can be found within the National Interagency Mobilization Guide.
Geographic Area Coordination Center Abbreviation		Approved
geographic area coordination center code	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Approved	A code that identifies one of the wildland fire geographic area coordination centers. A geographic area coordination center is a facility that is used for the coordination of agency or jurisdictional resources in support of one or more incidents within a geographic coordination area
geographic area coordination center name	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Approved	The name of an interagency operations center that provides coordination, mobilization, and demobilization of emergency management resources within a specific geographic coordinating area.
Geographic Area Coordination Center Name		Approved
Geographic Area Coordination Center unit identifier		Approved	NWCG Unit Identifier for GACC Boundary
geographic area name	NCSC National Coordination System Committee	Approved	The name of the geographic area that identifies a boundary designated by wildland fire protection agencies within which they work together for the interagency, intergovernmental planning, coordination, and operations leadership for the effective utilization of emergency management resources.

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National Wildfire Coordinating Group

PMS 205

NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205

Overview