Ff 1 Academy Termonology For Wildland Fire Control

Front 1

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

Back 1

Aerial Fuels

Front 2

An advantageous location, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to start constructing a fireline. It is usually used to minimize the chance of being flanked by the fire while the line is being constructed.

Back 2

Anchor Point

Front 3

(1) Departure from the usual increase or decrease with altitude of the vallue of an atmospheric property (in fire management usage, nearly always refers to an increase in temperature with increasing height)
(2) The layer through which this departure occurs (also called inversion layer). The lowest altitude at which the departure is found is called the base of the inversion.

Back 3

Atmospheric Inversion

Front 4

The degree to which vertical motion in the atmosphere is enhanced or suppressed. Vertical motions and pollution despersion are enhanced in an unstable atmosphere. Thunderstorm and active fire conditions. Stability suppresses vertical motion and limits pollution dispersion.

Back 4

Atmospheric Stability

Front 5

A fire set along the inner edge of a fireline to consume the fuel in the path of a wildfire and/or change the direction of force of the fire's convection column.

Back 5

Backfire

Front 6

Fire spreading, or ignited to spread, into (against) the wind downslope. A fire spreading on level ground in the absence of wind is a __.

Back 6

Backing Fire

Front 7

A system of estimating and reporting wind speeds. In its present form for international meteorological use it equates (a) Beaufort force (or Beaufort number), (b) wind speed, (c) descreiptive term, and (d) visible effects upon land objects or sea surface.

Back 7

Beaufort Wind Scale

Front 8

Pre-burning of fuels adjacent to a control line before igniting a prescribed burn. It 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, it denotes a condition where there is no unburned material between the fireline and the fire edge.

Back 8

Blackline

Front 9

Sudden increase in fireline intensity or rate of spread of a fire sufficient to preclude direct control or to upset existing suppression plans. Often accompanied by violent convection and may have other characteristics of a fire storm.

Back 9

Blowup

Front 10

A steep-sided, dead end canyon.

Back 10

Box Canyon

Front 11

Progressive method of fireline construction on a wildfire without changing relative positions in the line. Work is begun suitable space between workers; whenever one worker overtakes another, all of those ahead move one space forward and resume work on the uncompleted part of the line. The last worker does not move ahead until work is completed in his/her space. Forward progress of the crew is coordinated by a crew boss.

Back 11

Bumpup Method

Front 12

Setting fire inside a control line to consume fuel between the edge of the fire and control line.

Back 12

Burn Out

Front 13

Unit of measure in land survey, equal to 66 feet (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)

Back 13

Chain

Front 14

The leading edge of relatively cold air mass which displaces and may cause warmer air to rise. If the lifted air contains enough moisture, cloudiness, precipitation and even thunderstorms may result. As fronts move through a region, in the Northern Hemisphere, the wind at a given location will experience a marked shift in direction. Ahead of an approaching cold front, wind will usually shift gradually from southeast to south, and on to southwest. As a cold front passes, winds shift rapidly to west, then torthwest. Typical cold front windspeeds range between 15 and 30 mph but can be much higher.

Back 14

Cold Front

Front 15

A method of controlling a partly dead fore edge by carefully inspecting and feeling with the hand for heat to detect any fire, digging out every live spot, and trenching any live edge.

Back 15

Cold Trailing

Front 16

Heat transfer through a solid material from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature.

Back 16

Conduction

Front 17

An inclusive term for all constructed or natural barriers and treated fire edges used to control a fire.

Back 17

Control Line

Front 18

(1) The transfer of heat by the movement of a gas or liquid; convection, conduction, and radiation are the principal means of energy transfer. (2) As specialized in meteorology, atmospheric motions that are predominantly vertical in the absence of wind (which distinguishes this process from advection), resulting in vertical transport and mixing of atmospheric properties.

Back 18

Convection

Front 19

A fire that advances from top to top of trees or shrubs more or less independent of a surface fire. They are sometimes classed as running or dependent to distinguish the degree of independence from the surface fire.

Back 19

Crown Fire

Front 20

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 otherwisestart fire below the fireline. A high burn on the outermost downhill side of the trench helps this trench catch material. Also called gutter trench.

Back 20

Cup Trench

Front 21

Used when fire conditions are such that escape routes and safety zones have been compromised. They are last ditch areas where fire shelters must be deployed to ensure firefighter survival due to available space and/or fire behavior conditions at the deployment zone location.

Back 21

Deployment Zone

Front 22

Any treatment applied directly to burning fuel such as wetting, smothering, or chemically quenching the fire or by physically separating the burning from the unburned fuel.

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Direct Attack

Front 23

Daily, especially pertaining to cyclic actions which are completed within 24 hours, and which recur every 24 hours, such as temperature, relative humidity and wind.

Back 23

Diurnal

Front 24

A preplanned and understood route firefighters take to move to a safety zone or other low-risk area. When escape routes deviate from a defined physical path, they should be clearly marked (flagged).

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Escape Route

Front 25

A wildland fire that has not been contained or controlled by initial attack forces and for which more firefighting resources are arriving, en route, or being ordered by the initial attack incident commander. Extended attack implies that the complexity level of the incident will increase beyond the capabilities of initial attack incident command.

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Extended Attack Incident

Front 26

The probable moisture content of fast-drying fuels which have a timelag constant of 1 hour or less; such as, grass, leaves, ferns, tree moss, pine needles, and small twigs(0-1/4").

Back 26

Fine Fuel Moisture

Front 27

The manner in which a fire reacts to the influences of fuel, weather, and topography.

Back 27

Fire Behavior

Front 28

Sum of constant danger and variable danger factors affecting the inception, spread, and resistance to control, and subsequent fire damage; often expressed as an index.

Back 28

Fire Danger

Front 29

The part of a control line that is scraped or dug into mineral soil. Also called fire trail.

Back 29

Fire Line

Front 30

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.

Back 30

Fire Front

Front 31

Any substance except plain water that by chemical or physical action reduces flammability of fuels or slows their rate of combustion.

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Fire Retardant

Front 32

The average maximum vertical extension of flames at the leading edge of the fire front. Occasional flashes that rise above the general level of flames are not considered. This distance is less than the flame length if flames are tilted due to wind or slope.

Back 32

Flame Height

Front 33

The distance between the flame tip and the general midpoint of the flame depth at the base of the flame (generally the ground surface), and indicator of fire intensity.

Back 33

Flame Length

Front 34

A warm, dry and strong general wind that flows down into the valleys when stable, high pressure air is forced across and then down the lee slopes of a mountain range. The descending air is warmed and dried due to adiabatic compression producing critical fire weather conditions. Locally called by various names such as Santa Ana winds, Devil winds, North winds, Mono winds, etc.

Back 34

Foehn Wind

Front 35

In meteorology, the boundary between two air masses of differing atmospheric properties.

Back 35

Front

Front 36

Factors that make up fuels such as compactness, loading, horizontal continuity, vertical arrangement, chemical content, size and shape, and moisture content

Back 36

Fuel Characteristics

Front 37

The quantity of moisture in fuel expressed as a percentage of the weight when thoroughly dried at 212 degrees F.

Back 37

Fuel Moisture Content

Front 38

(1) A wind that flows parallel to pressure isobars or contours and has a velocity such that the pressure gradient, Coriolis, and centrifugal force acting in the area are in balance. It does not occur at the earth's surface due to fractional influence, but occurs at a height of roughly 1,500 feet above mean terrain height. (2) Wind created by differing barometric pressures between high- and low-pressure systems. Velocity is generally five to 30 miles per hour, and wind shifts are usually gradual as systems move and shift.

Back 38

Gradient Wind

Front 39

Fire that consumes the organic material beneath the surface litter ground, such as a peat fire.

Back 39

Ground Fire

Front 40

Fireline constructed with hand tools.

Back 40

Handline

Front 41

The most rapidly spreading portion of a fire's perimeter, usually to the leeward or up slope.

Back 41

Head of a Fire

Front 42

An increase of temperature with height in the atmosphere. Vertical motion in the atmosphere is inhibited allowing for pollution buildup. A "normal" atmosphere has temperature decreasing with height.

Back 42

Inversion

Front 43

A system of organizing workers in fire suppression in which each crew member is assigned a specific task such as clearing or digging fireline on a specific section of control line, and when that task is completed, passes other workers in moving to a new assignment.

Back 43

Leapfrog Method

Front 44

Ratio of the amount of water to the amount of dry plant material in living plants.

Back 44

Live Fuel Moisture Content

Front 45

Large glowing firebrands are carried high into the convection column and then fall out downwind beyond the main fire starting new fires. Such spotting can easily occur 1/4 mile or more from the firebrand's source.

Back 45

Long-Range Spotting

Front 46

Prominent ridgeline separating river or creek drainage's. Usually has numerous smaller ridges (spur) extending outward from both sides.

Back 46

Main Ridge

Front 47

A combination hoe or cutting tool and rake, with or without removable blades.

Back 47

McLeod

Front 48

The speed of the wind measured at the midpoint of the flames, considered to be most representative of the speed of the wind that is affecting fire behavior.

Back 48

Mid-Flame Windspeed

Front 49

The fuel moisture content, weighed over all the fuel classes, at which the fire will not spread. Also called extinction moisture content (EMC).

Back 49

Moisture of Extinction

Front 50

Extinguishing or removing burning material near control lines, felling snags, and trenching logs to prevent rolling after an area has burned, to make a fire safe, or to reduce residual smoke.

Back 50

Mopup

Front 51

Dead fuels consisting of roundwood in the size range of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) in diameter and very roughly the layer of litter extending from approximately three-fourths of an inch (1.9cm) to 4 inches (10cm) below the surface.

Back 51

One-Hundred Hour Timelag Fuels

Front 52

Dead fuels consisting of roundwood 3-8 inches in diameter and the layer of the forest floor more than about 4 inches below the surface.

Back 52

One-Thousand-Hour Timelag Fuels

Front 53

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 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.

Back 53

Parallel Attack

Front 54

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 to spread rate, but these fires are not basically different from surface fires.

Back 54

Passive Crown Fire

Front 55

That equipment and clothing required to mitigate the risk of injury from or exposure to hazardous conditions encountered during the performance of duty. PPE includes but is not limited to: fire resistant clothing, hard hat, flight helmets, shroud, goggles, gloves, respirators, hearing protection, chainsaw chaps, and shelter.

Back 55

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Front 56

A wildland fire whose activity is determined by the convection column.

Back 56

Plume-Dominated Wildfire

Front 57

Any or all forms of water particles, liquid or solid, that fall from the atmosphere and reach the ground

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Precipitation

Front 58

A system of organizaing workers to build fireline in which they advance without changing relative positions inline.

Back 58

Progressive Method of Line Construction

Front 59

A combination chopping and trenching tool widely used in fireline construction, which combines a single-bitted axe blade with a narrow adze-like trenching blade fitted to a straight handle.

Back 59

Pulaski

Front 60

(1) Propagation of energy in free space by virtue of joint, undulatory variations in the electric or magnetic fields in space, (i.ei, by electromagnetic waves). (2) Transfer of heat in straight lines through a gas or vacuum other than by heating of the intervening space.

Back 60

Radiation

Front 61

The relative activity of a fire in extending its horizontal dimensions. It is expressed as rate of increase of the total perimeter of the fire, as rate of forward spread of the fire front, or as rate of increase in area, depending on the intended use of the information. Usually it is expressed in chains or acres per hour for a specific period in the fire's history.

Back 61

Rate of Spread

Front 62

A substance or chemical agent which reduces the flammability of combustibles.

Back 62

Retardant

Front 63

Behavior of a fire spreading rapidly with a well defined head.

Back 63

Running Fire

Front 64

Depression or pass in a ridgeline.

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Saddle

Front 65

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 fuelbreaks; they are greatly enlarged areas which can be used with relative safety by firefighters and their equipment in the event of blowup in the vicinity.

Back 65

Safety Zone

Front 66

An unfinished preliminary control line hastily established or constructed as an emergency measure to check the spread of fire.

Back 66

Scratch Line

Front 67

A breeze (wind) blowing inland from the sea generally during daytime hours.

Back 67

Sea Breeze

Front 68

Any fireline constructed at a distance from the fire perimeter concurrently with or after a line already constructed on or near to the perimeter of the fire. Generally constructed as an insurance measure in case the fire escapes control by the primary line.

Back 68

Secondary Line

Front 69

Small scale convective winds that occur due to local heating and cooling of a natural incline of the ground.

Back 69

Slope Winds

Front 70

A standing dead tree or part of a dead tree from which at least the leaves and smaller branches have fallen. Often called a stub, if less than 20 feet tall

Back 70

Snag

Front 71

Fire ignited outside the perimeter of the main fire by a firebrand.

Back 71

Spot Fire

Front 72

A small ridge which extends finger-like from a main ridge.

Back 72

Spur Ridge

Front 73

Condition of the atmosphere in which the temperature decrease with increasing altitude is less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. In this condition, the atmosphere tends to suppress large-scale vertical motion. Also called stable air.

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Stable Atmosphere

Front 74

The general plan or direction selected to accomplish incident objectives.

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Strategy

Front 75

Downward or sinking motion of air in the atmosphere. Subsiding air warms due to compression. Increasing temperature and decreasing humidities are present in subsiding air. Subsidence results in a stable atmosphere inhibiting dispersion. It is generally associated with high atmospheric pressure.

Back 75

Subsidence

Front 76

All the work of extinguishing or confining a fire beginning with its discovery.

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Suppression

Front 77

The ratio between the surface area of an object, such as a fuel particle, to its volume. The smaller the particle, the more quickly it can become wet, dry out, or become heated to combustion temperature during a fire.

Back 77

Surface Area-to-Volume Ratio

Front 78

Fire that burns loose debris on the surface, which includes dead branches, leaves, and low vegetation.

Back 78

Surface Fire

Front 79

Fuels lying in or near the surface of the ground, consisting of leaf and needle litter, dead branch material, downed logs, bark, tree cones, and low stature living plants

Back 79

Surface Fuel

Front 80

Wind measured at a surface observing station, customarily at some distance (usually 20 feet) above the average vegetative surface to minimize the distorting effects of local obstacles and terrain.

Back 80

Surface Wind

Front 81

Deploying and directing resources on an incident to accomplish the objectives designated by strategy.

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Tactics

Front 82

Dead fuels consisting of roundwood 1/4 to 1 inch (0.6 to 2.5cm) in diameter and, very roughly, the layer of litter extending from immediately below thhe surface to 3/4 inch (1.9cm) below the surface.

Back 82

Ten-Hour Timelag Fuels

Front 83

A fire that consumes surface fuels but not trees and shrubs.

Back 83

Underburn

Front 84

A fireline below a fire in a slope. Should be trenched to catch rolling material. Also called underslung line.

Back 84

Undercut Line

Front 85

Fuels distributed continuously, thereby providing a continuous path for fire to spread.

Back 85

Uniform Fuels

Front 86

The line, area, zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.

Back 86

Urban Interface

Front 87

Precipitation falling out of a cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground.

Back 87

Virga

Front 88

A shallow channel or raised barrier, e.g., a ridge of packed earth or a thin pole laid diagonally across the surface of a road or trail so as to lead off water, particularly storm water. (Frequently installed in firelines on steep slopes prevent erosion.)

Back 88

Water Bar

Front 89

A line of water, or water and chemical retardant, sprayed along the ground, and which serves as a temporary control line from which to ignite or stop a low-intensity fire.

Back 89

Wet Line

Front 90

A loose limb or top or piece of bark-lodged in a tree, which may fall on anyone working beneath it.

Back 90

Widow-Maker

Front 91

A fire occurring on wildland that is not meeting management objectives and thus requires a suppression response.

Back 91

Wildifire ?

Front 92

An area in which development is essentially non-existent, except for roads, railroads, powerlines, and similar transportation facilities. Structures, if any, are widely scattered.

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Wildland