| Air ops |
All aerial resources on the fire from air tankers to helicopters
|
| ATGS |
Air Tactical Group Supervisor, oversees all aerial firefighting ops.
|
| Backfire |
Fire set in front of a wildfire to burn off fuels and stop the fire.
|
| Backburn | See Backfire |
| Bambi Bucket |
Collapsible bucket used to drop water or retardant on a fire
|
| Balance |
(The balance), the remaining units either on scene or en route
|
| Complex |
Two or more fires under a single Incident Commander (IC)
|
| Crowning Fire |
Fire that burns through the tops of trees, heavy brush is also capable
|
| CWN |
Call When Needed, air tanker on a 24 or 48-hour call back
|
| Dozer |
Bulldozer used to construct a line to prevent the fire from spreading
|
| Dozer tender |
Support vehicle, carries extra supplies (oil, tools, etc.) for the dozer
|
| Extended Attack |
Fire that will require extensive resources and time, typically >24 hr
|
| Fire Shelter |
Portable last resort for surviving a burn over.
|
| Flank |
The sides of the fire,
|
| Flanking fire |
Fire that spreads along the flanks instead of in the direction of the head
|
| Flashy Fuels |
Light fuels that ignite quickly, typically grass, leaves, etc.
|
| Forward ROS |
The forward movement of the fire, when stopped the fire is in a good place
|
| Hand crew |
A crew of 20 people who use handheld tools to construct a fire line
|
| Head |
The most rapidly spreading portion of a fire
|
| Heavy Fuels |
Large diameter fuels, down logs, timber, opposite of flashy fuels
|
| Helispot |
Take off and landing spot for a helicopter, either man-made or natural
|
| Helitack |
Fire crew that uses helicopters, all Cal Fire helos have Helitack crews
|
| Hotshot |
The elite of firefighting highly trained and go where no other units can
|
| IC |
Incident Commander, the person in charge of the fire
|
| ICS |
Incident Command System, the system used to manage all incidents
|
| IMT |
Incident management team, the team brought to manage large incidents
|
| Initial Attack |
The first attack on the fire to attempt to knock it down.
|
| Ladder Fuels |
Fuels that assist a ground fire in spreading to the canopy
|
| Lead Plane |
Aircraft that shows air tankers the drop and then leads them into it
|
| Longline |
A 100’-200’ line used to lower personnel (Henry 1) or supplies.
|
| MAFFS |
Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, used when no tankers are available
|
| Mop-up |
The often-long process of ensuring the fire is 100% extinguished
|
| Mutual Aid |
Aid from one department to another in a time of need
|
| Red Flag |
Any fire that starts will spread quickly and rapidly, extra caution needed
|
| ROS |
Rate of Spread, slow (least severe), moderate, high, critical/dangerous
|
| SEAT |
Single Engine Air Tanker, not commonly used in our area
|
| Size-up |
Initial report of what happening including, size, weather, topography, ROS
|
| Slopover |
Fire that spreads outside control lines
|
| Strike Team |
See below for strike team types
|
| Support WT |
Water tender that only carries water, no pump, and roll,
|
| Task Force |
Pre-established group of resources often prepared for Red Flag days
|
| Tactical WT |
Water tender capable of pump and roll
|
| Type 1 Airtanker |
3,000 to 4,999 gallons (BAE-146, MD-87, P-3, C-130)
|
| Type 2 Airtanker |
1,800 to 2,999 gallons (P2V, DC-6)
|
| Type 3 Airtanker |
800-1,799 gallons (S2T, CL-215, CL-415)
|
| Type 4 Airtanker |
<800 gallons (SEAT)
|
| Type 1 Engine |
Structure fire engine, not designed for wildland, no pump, and roll
|
| Type 2 Engine |
Hybrid Type 1 and Type 3, might have pump and roll
|
| Type 3 Engine |
Engine designed for wildland fire, pump and roll required
|
| Type 4 Engine |
Similar to type 3, smaller but larger tank, pump, and roll
|
| Type 5 Engine |
Similar to a heavy-duty chassis outfitted for firefighting, pump, and roll
|
| Type 6 Engine |
Similar to Type 5, smaller and more maneuverable, pump and roll
|
| Type 7 Engine |
Similar to Type 6, less water capacity, pump, and roll
|
| Type 1 Helicopter |
700-2,500 gallons (S-64, S-70, UH-60, KMAX, CH-47)
|
| Type 2 Helicopter |
300-699 gallons (UH-1, B-412, B-212, B-205)
|
| Type 3 Helicopter |
<300 gallons (B-407, AS-50, H-125, B-206, MD-500)
|
| VLAT |
Very Large Air Tanker, capacity over 8,000 gallons (DC-10, 747)
|
| WUI |
Wildland Urban Interface, where the wildland meets suburban area
|
| Water Tender (WT) |
Vehicle that carries >1000 gallons of water
|
What does ROS, IC, etc stand for?
- Updated