Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Russ on October 1, 2007 at 11:29pm

take up- leave the scene (fdny)
the nob-nozzle (fdny)
Jakes-firefighters (boston)
vamps- volunteer firefighters (long island, NY)
dem scabbin vollies-(paid firefighters everywhere that dont like vollies)
using all hands-everyone at a scene working (fdny)
rook, probie, @#$^&*, ffops, FNG, JAFF, newbie-(Recently appointed firefighters)
i'm sure i know more but i'm tired and its late

Permalink Reply by Merritt Long on December 24, 2007 at 8:42am

Here is a Glossary of Wildland Firefighting Terms
A
Aerial canopy: Fuel type comprised of trees having few low branches, making it less susceptible to ignition by low-intensity fires.
Aerial firefighting (or air attack): Use of aircraft in support of ground resources to combat wildfires, often most effective in initial attack in light fuels.
Air drop: Delivery of supplies or retardant from the air. Supplies can be dropped by parachute. Retardant is dropped in a single "salvo" or one or more "trails", the size of which is determined by the wind and the volume, speed and altitude of the airtanker (usually no less than 200 feet above the drop zone).
Air operations: Group tasked with coordinating aerial-based observation, supply, rescue and suppression at a wildfire.
Air Tactical Group Supervisor or Air Attack: Coordinates air resources for attack of a fire.
Aerial firefighting|Airtanker]]: Fixed-wing aircraft certified by FAA as being capable of transport and delivery of 600 to 3,0000 gallons of water or other liquid or powder fire retardants. Formerly referred to as "borate bombers" before borate-based retardants became less desirable. Often accompanied by a spotter plane.
Anchor point: An advantageous location, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to start constructing a fireline. The anchor point is used to minimize the chance of being flanked (or outflanked) by the fire while the line is being constructed.

B
Backburn: Precautionary fire set downwind of main fire for controlled fuel clearing by "backing" it into the main fire, similar to burnout, below, which occurs adjacent to control line.
Backfire: 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 or force of the fire’s convection column.
Bambi bucket: collapsible bucket for lifting and moving water or other fire retardant with a helicopter. (Note: The name was in use many years before the trademark owner claimed it in 1983.)
Barrier: Any obstruction to the spread of fire. Typically an area or strip devoid of combustible fuel.
Base: (1) staging and/or command center location for fire operations; (2) starting location of a fire; (3) base camp: location for eating, sleeping, etc., near staging or command center.
Berm: Soil heaped on the downhill side of a traversing fireline below a fire, to trap rolling firebrands.
Blackline: A condition where no combustible fuels remain between the fireline and the main fire.
Blowup: 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 firestorm.
Boise Interagency Fire Center (BIFC): The former name of the National Interagency Fire Center (see below); often pronounced as "biff-see".
Booster hose, booster pump, booster reel: small solid hose on a reel connected to a small pump fitted to a water tank on a vehicle. Booster pump also refers to pump in a relay series for pumping uphill beyond the lift of the previous pump.
Brush blade: Rake attachment for cutting or ripping brush and roots out of a fireline.
Brush hook: Cutting tool used to clear brush, longer than a machete, usually with a heavy, solid,curved blade bolted to the end of an arm's-length handle.
Brush truck: Small fire truck outfitted for wildland fire. Also called a "Type 6 Engine."
Bump up: To move to another location. Can refer to anything from moving to another location on a fireline, to an entire crew moving to another fire. "Bump back" means to return to your previous location. In the "bump" system of fireline construction, each firefighter works on a small piece of fireline with his or her tool, perhaps slowly walking as the line progresses, until a completed portion of line is encountered. Then the call to "bump up!" is heard, and everyone ahead of the caller skips ahead one or more positions, leaving the unfinished fireline for those coming up behind.
Burning index: relative measure of fire-control difficulty; doubling the index means twice the effort may be needed to control the fire (e.g., wind shift, heavier fuel load, etc).
Burn out: Setting fire inside a control line to consume fuel between the edge of the fire and the control line.
Burning period: The part of each 24-hour period when fires spread most rapidly; typically from 10:00 AM to sundown.
Bushfire: A bushfire is a wildfire that occurs in the forests, scrubs, woodlands or grasslands of Australia or New Zealand.

C
Closed area: An area in which specified activities or entry are temporarily restricted to reduce risk of human-caused fires.
Closure: Legal restriction, but not necessarily elimination, of specified activities such as smoking, camping, or entry that might cause fires in a given area.
Cold trailing: A method of controlling a partly dead fire 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.
Complex: Two or more individual incidents located in the same general area which are assigned to a single incident commander or unified command.
Confine a fire: The least aggressive wildfire suppression strategy which can be expected to keep the fire within established boundaries of constructed firelines under prevailing conditions.
Contain a fire: A moderately aggressive wildfire suppression strategy which can be expected to keep the fire within established boundaries of constructed firelines under prevailing conditions.
Control line: An inclusive term for all constructed or natural barriers and treated (retardant) fire edges used to control a fire.
Controlled burn: See Prescribed Burn.
Coyote tactics: A progressive line construction duty involving self-sufficient crews which build fireline until the end of the operational period, remain at or near the point while off duty (in a spike camp), and begin building fireline again the next operational period where they left off.
Creeping fire: Fire burning with a low flame and spreading slowly.
Crown fire: A fire that advances from top to top of trees or shrubs more or less independent of a surface fire. Crown fires are sometimes classed as running or dependent to distinguish the degree of independence from the surface fire.
Crown out: A fire that raises from ground into the tree crowns and advances from treetop to treetop. To intermittently ignite tree crowns as a surface fire advances.

D
Dead Man Zone: Unburnt areas around edges of brush fire.
Demob: Demobilization, or a crew being removed from working a fire.
Direct Attack: Any treatment applied directly to burning fuel such as wetting, smothering, or chemically quenching the fire or by physically separating the burning from unburned fuel.
Dozer line: Fireline constructed by the front blade of a bulldozer or any tracked vehicle with a front mounted blade used for exposing mineral soil. Also "catline."
Drafting: using a suction pump to lift water from below the pump, using a semi-rigid suction hose, typically to fill a portable reservoir that has other suction pumps (to relay) or siphon hoses running downhill to their nozzles.
Drip torch: hand-carried fire-starting device filled with flammable liquid that is poured across a flaming wick, dropping flaming liquid onto the fuels to be burned.
Duff: Layer of decaying forest litter consisting of organics such as needles, leaves, plant and tree materials covering the mineral soil. Duff can smolder for days after a fire. Extinguishing smoldering duff is key to successful mopup operations.

E
Engine: Any ground vehicle providing specified levels of pumping, water, and hose capacity but with less than the specified level of personnel.
Engine crew: A number of personnel trained and supervised to respond to incidents using an engine. Typically much smaller than a hand crew.
Escape fire: An intentional fire ignited by a fire crew, usually in a grassland environment, to escape a dangerous situation.
Escaped fire: A fire, which has exceeded or is expected to exceed initial attack capabilities or prescription.
Extended attack: Situation in which a fire cannot be controlled by initial attack resources within a reasonable period of time. Committing additional resources within 24 hours after commencing suppression action will usually control the fire.

F
Fire behavior: The manner in which a fire reacts to the influences of fuel, weather, and topography.
Fire camp: Temporary camp established at large fires to provide food, rest, and other necessities to fire crews.
Firebreak: A natural or constructed barrier used to stop or check fires that may occur, or to provide a control line from which to work.
Fire edge: The boundary of a fire at a given moment.
Fire fighting foam: The aerated solution created by forcing air into, or entraining air in water containing a foam concentrate by means of suitably designed equipment or by cascading it through the air at a high velocity. Foam reduces combustion by cooling, moistening and excluding oxygen.
Fireline: The part of a control line that is scraped or dug to mineral soil. Also called fire trail. More generally, working a fire is called being "on the fireline." May also refer to a "wet line" where water has been used to create a burn boundary in light fuels such as grass.
Fireline handbook: A small red booklet carried by U.S. firefighters on the firelines, as a quick reference on various firefighting topics.
Fire retardant: Any substance (except plain water) that by chemical or physical actions reduces flammability of fuels or slows their rate of combustion. See retardant slurry, AFFF, and Foam as examples.
Fire Lookout: A person that keeps an eye for possible fire starts and conditions. They can work in a Fire Lookout Tower or perform the duty as a role for a fire crew on the fireline.
Fire lookout tower: A structure located at a high vantage point to house and protect the person performing the duties of a Fire Lookout.
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. Carried as a safety tool, fire shelters should only be used in life threatening situations, as a last resort, as severe burns or asphyxiation often result.
Fire shirt: Distinctive yellow shirts made of Nomex or other lightweight materials of low combustibility, used as uniform PPE of wildland firefighters.
Firestorm: Extreme fire behavior indicated by widespread in-drafts and a tall column of smoke and flame, where added air increases fire intensity, creating runaway fire growth.
Fire trail: Australian term for fireroad, road built specifically for access for "fire management purposes"
Fire weather: weather conditions that affect fire vulnerability, fire behavior and suppression.
Fire whirl: a tornado-like vortex that forms from the stretching of vorticity due to the interaction of air flowing towards and upwards in a fire
Flanks of a fire: The parts of a fire’s spread perimeter that are roughly parallel to the main direction of spread.
Flare-up: Any sudden acceleration in rate of spread or intensification of the fire. Unlike blowup, a flare-up is of relatively short duration and does not radically change existing control plans.
Flash fuels: 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.
Fuelbreak: A natural or manmade change in fuel characteristics which affects fire behavior so that fires burning into them can be more readily controlled.
Fuel load: the mass of combustible materials available for a fire usually expressed as weight of fuel per unit area (e.g., 20 tons per acre).
Fuel moisture: Percent water content of vegetation, an important factor in rate of spread, ranging from dead-fuel and fine-fuel moisture (FFM), of 10 percent or less, to live-fuel moisture (LFM), of 60 percent or more. FFM can be estimated by weighing calibrated wood sticks.
Fuel type: 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.

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

H
Hand crew: A number of individuals that have been organized and trained and are supervised principally for operational assignments on an incident. In the United States, a typical hand crew is 20 in number.
Hazard Reduction: Precautionary controlled and managed fire lit during cooler and/or wetter weather in order to reduce the available fuel load. Often incorrectly called a backburn.
Head of a fire: The most rapidly spreading portion of a fire’s perimeter, usually to the leeward or up slope.
Heavy fuels: Fuels of large diameter such as snags, logs, large limb wood, which ignite and are consumed more slowly than flash fuels.
Helispot: A natural or improved takeoff and landing area intended for temporary or occasional helicopter use, typically in remote areas without other access.
Helitack: A fire crew trained to use helicopters for initial attack, and to support large fires through bucket drops and the movement of personnel, equipment and supplies.
Hot spot: A particularly active part of a fire.
Hotshot crew: Intensively trained fire crew used primarily in hand line construction, and organized primarily to travel long distances from fire to fire as needed rather than serving only one geographic location.

I
Incident Command System (ICS): System first developed to provide a command structure to manage large wildfires in the United States, now widely used by many emergency management agencies.
Indian pump: Water vessel carried on one's back, either a rigid can or collapsible bag, with a hose and telescoping squirt pump. Contains 5 US gal, and is used on hot spots and during mop up. Also called bladder bag (if collapsible), piss pump, or Fedco.
Indirect attack: A method of suppression in which the control line is located some considerable distance away from the fire’s active edge. Generally done in the case of a fast-spreading or high-intensity fire and to utilize natural or constructed firebreaks fuel breaks and favorable breaks in the topography. The intervening fuel is usually backfired; but occasionally the main fire is allowed to burn to the line, depending on conditions.
Infrared (IR) detector: A heat detection system used for fire detection, mapping, and hotspot identification.
Initial attack: The actions taken by the first resources to arrive at a wildfire to protect lives and property, and prevent further extension of the fire.
Interface zone: Where urban firefighting meets wildland firefighting. Structures at the edges of wildlands are threatened and require skills and equipment of both disciplines.

K
Knock down: To reduce the flame or heat on the more vigorously burning parts of a fire edge.

L
Ladder fuels: Flammable vegetation that helps a ground fire move into the canopy.
LCES: Firefighter safety mnemonic for Lookouts, Communications, Escape routes, Safe zones.
Lead plane: 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.
Let-burn policy: Administrative decision to defer fire suppression, perhaps because of wilderness and long-term forest conservation considerations.
Light 'em, fight 'em: Derogatory term for wildland crew with a reputation for igniting its prescribed burns carelessly.
Line firing:
Litter: Surface buildup of leaves and twigs.
Logging slash or logging debris:
Longline: Helicopter arrangement for lowering external loads into areas not available for landing.
Lookouts: (1) Safety person positioned to monitor the location and behavior of a fire, ready to signal a crew to escape; (2) Fire lookout tower or fire tower, often on mountain-tops, for viewing the surrounding countryside and watching for signs of fire; (3) Fire lookout, the person who works in the fire lookout tower; (4) The "L" of "LCES" safety mnemonic, which see above.

M
McLeod: Hand tool used in fireline construction, consisting of a combination rake and hoe.
Mop-up: 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.
Mutual aid: cross-jurisdictional assistance with emergency services by pre-arranged agreement.

N
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): Fire and safety standards organization; issues various wildfire-oriented standards related to clothing, tactics, equipment, etc.
National Hose (NH): National Standard Thread (NST) design of threaded couplings used on fire hose in various diameters.
National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC): Coordination facility in Boise, Idaho, operated by several U.S. agencies to provide logistics, weather information and resource coordination for wildfire suppression across the U.S. (formerly BIFC).
Nomex®: Brand of approved, fire retardant, synthetic, aramid cloth and thread used in personal protective equipment for wildland firefighting, and jumpsuits.
National Wildfire Coordinating Group: Coordination agency located in Washington, D.C. which sets national standards for firefighter training and publishes training manuals.

O
One-hour fuel: Vegetation with large surface-to-mass ratio, a so-called "fine fuel" (along with 10-hour) that quickly reaches critical (inflammable) moisture levels (fine fuel moisture, FFM) when exposed to heat; compare with 100-hour or 1000-hour fuels (i.e., live fuel moisture, LFM), which take much more heat to ignite.
Overhead: Personnel assigned to supervisory positions, including Incident Commander, Command Staff, General Staff, Branch Directors, Supervisors, Unit Leaders, Managers, and staff.

P
Palmer drought severity index (PDI): Technique for measuring impact of soil moisture changes on vegetation, for predicting fire danger and fire behavior.
Parallel attack: Fire containment method where crews construct a fireline at some distance from the edge of the fire (e.g., 100 yards) and then burn out the fuel in the buffer as the fireline is completed.
Perennial grasses: an extremely volatile fuel, after curing, in May, June, July, which can lead to large, fast fires that may reach larger fuels.
Point of origin: an element of fire behavior, indicating where a fire began, supporting further analysis of where the fire went or will go; evidence of specific origin is often obscured or destroyed by suppression tactics.
Prescribed burn: Deliberately ignited fire for the purpose of forest or prairie management, often to remove heavy fuel buildup or simulate natural cycles of fire in an ecosystem. Also called "controlled burn", even if it becomes uncontrollable.
Progressive hose lay: A method of deploying hoses along firelines during suppression and as they are built and reinforced, typically using 1 1/2-inch supply lines, gated wyes and 1-inch lateral lines with nozzles (or at least spigot valves) every 100 feet or so. As the line progesses, more hoses and valves are added.
Project fire: Any large fire requiring extensive management and the establishment of a temporary infrastructure to support firefighting efforts, such as fire camps.
Pulaski: Combination axe and grub hoe tool with a straight handle, used for building handline. Also known as "P-tool"

R
Rapeller: Crew of specialist hot-shot firefighters who are trained to access a fire area by sliding down ropes suspended from a hovering helicopter. Also used for delivering wilderness first aid if a rapeller is an EMT.
Reburn: (1) Repeat burning of an area over which a fire has previously passed, but left fuel that later ignites when burning conditions are more favorable; (2) An area that has re-burned.
Red card: Credentials issued to qualified wildland firefighters, listing their qualifications and specialties.
Red-flag day: Weather conditions creating a critical fire hazard, may require closing the forest to non-emergency activities in order to minimize the risk of accidental wildland fires.

S
S-130/S-190: The basic wildland fire training course given to all U.S. firefighters before they can work on the fire lines.
Safety zone: An area cleared of flammable material 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 blowup in the vicinity.
Sawyer: Chainsaw crew, may also include ‘’’faller’’’ or ‘’’feller’’’ who is qualified to cut down trees or snags, perhaps while the tree or snag is burning.
Secondary line: 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.
SEAT: Single Engine Airtanker - small agricultural aircraft converted for use on fires, predominantly during the initial attack phase.
Skidder unit: Pre-configured tank, pump, hose for attachment to a logging skidder (large 4-wheel-drive tractor with a dozer blade, winch or grapple) to be carried to a fireline.
Slash: Debris resulting from such natural events as wind, fire, or snow breakage; or such human activities as road construction, logging, pruning, thinning, or brush cutting. It includes logs, chunks, bark, branches, stumps, and broken under-story trees or brush.
Slopover: Fire spreading outside the boundaries of a control line.
Slug: Humorous pejorative term for those believed to be doing less work than you. "Heli-slug" for helitack, "camp slug" for fire camp support personnel, "engine slug" for engine crew member, etc.
Slurry bomber: See Airtanker.
Smokechaser: Colloquial term for a wildland firefighter. Now mostly archaic, except in Minnesota where state Department of Natural Resources firefighters are officially known by that name.
Smokejumper: A specifically trained and certified firefighter who travels to remote wildfires by fixed-wing aircraft and parachutes into a jump spot - that may include trees - close to the fire.
Smoldering: A fire burning without flame and barely spreading.
Snag: A dead standing tree that can be hazardous.
Spike camp: Remote camp usually near a fireline, and lacking the logistical support that a larger fire camp would have.
Spotting: Behavior of a fire producing sparks or embers that are carried by the wind and which start new fires (spot fires) beyond the zone of direct ignition by the main fire. A cascade of spot fires can cause a blowup.
Strike team: Specified combinations of the same kind and type of resources, with communications, and a leader.
Suppression: All the work of extinguishing or confining a fire beginning with its discovery.
Suppression crew: Two or more firefighters stationed at a strategic location for initial action on fires. Duties are essentially the same as those of individual firefighters.
Surface fire: Fire that burns loose debris on the surface, which include dead branches, leaves, and low vegetation.

T
Task force: Any combination or single resources assembled for a particular tactical need, with common communications and a leader. A Task Force may be pre-established and sent to an incident, or formed at an incident.
Tree jump: A Smokejumper can sometimes parachute into the tree canopy if a clearing is not available or suitable.
Turn Around: A widened part of a fire break used for turning vehicles around, also used as a safe area during entrapment.
Type I Engine: A fire engine designed primarily for fighting fires in structures.
Type II Engine: A fire engine designed to carry water for use in fire suppression. Also known as a "Tender" or "Water Tender"
Type III Engine: A fire engine designed primarily for fighting wildland fires. These engines are usually able to traverse more rugged terrain than Type I and Type II engines.

U
Understory burn: A controlled burn of fuels below the forest canopy, intended to remove fuels from on-coming or potential fires.
Urban interface: The Interface zone where man-made structures inter-mingle with wildlands, creating risk of structural involvement in a wildland fire incident.

W
Watch out situations: A list of 18 situations for firefighters to be aware of, which signal potential hazards on the fire line.
Water tender: Any ground vehicle capable of transporting specified quantities of water.
Wet line: Temporary control line using water or other fire retardant liquid to prevent a low-intensity fire from spreading in surface fuels.
Widowmaker: Any branch that is poorly or no longer attached to a tree, but still overhead. As the name implies, it can be deadly.
Wildfire: A fire occurring on wildland that is not meeting management objectives and thus requires a suppression response.
Wildland: An area in which development is essentially nonexistent, except for roads, railroads, power lines, and similar transportation facilities. Structures, if any, are widely scattered.
Wildland Fire Use fires (WFU fires) are naturally-ignited wildland controlled burns that are managed for purposes of achieving specific previously-defined resource management objectives.[2]
Windfall: Tree knocked over or broken off by wind, increases fuel loading and hampers building fireline. Also sometimes called blowdown.

Permalink Reply by Merritt Long on December 24, 2007 at 8:44am

Here is a Basic Glossary of Firefighting Terms

~ A~

A/B/C/D Sides
At a building fire, the building is identified by ABCD sides, with side A
being the front of the building, and sides BCD being named around the building in a
clockwise fashion. This helps maintain clear communication on the fireground.
Example: "Division C from Broadway Command, all personnel should withdraw
from the rear of the building at this time"

Advanced Life Support
Advanced life support (ALS) is medical care provided by paramedics
trained to assess a patient's condition, administer drugs, defibrillate and
provide advanced airway management prior to transportation to the hospital.

Aerial Truck
Also known as a ladder truck or just plain truck. A hydraulically powered ladder,
mounted on a vehicle that also carries several different length extension ladders,
extrication gear, ventilation equipment, and lighting. May or may not have a
bucket or platform on the end. MHC's truck is 70 feet. Some trucks can reach
as high as 200 feet!

Air Bags
Special heavy duty lifting bags made of multiple ply rubber/steel layers. These bags
are inflated with compressed air provided by air bottles, and have a lifting capacity of
several tons. Used to free trapped victims from under heavy objects.

Air Bottle
A fiberglass wrapped aluminum cylinder of compressed air that is used by our self
contained breathing apparatus. Each bottle carries approximately 66 cubic feet of
pure compressed air at a pressure of 4500 pounds per square inch.

Air Pack
A self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) the firefighter straps
onto his back to provide breathing air.

Attic Ladder
A ladder usually 8-10 feet long that usually can be folded so tha the two
beams touch each other. Also called a scuttle hull.


~ B ~

Backdraft
A backdraft occurs when oxygen-starved fire suddenly receives oxygen. The
sudden rush of oxygen causes all of the super-heated gases to ignite at the
same time, which causes an explosion. While the risk of such an occurance
is low, a backdraft is almost always fatal to anyone caught in it.

Basic Life Support
Basic life support (BLS) is a level of care provided to patients requiring
transportation to the hospital. BLS does not include extensive medical
supervision or treatment.

Booster Line
Booster lines is a hose that is usually one inch in diameter and rubber
jacketed. They are used on small fires using the water carried in an
apparatus' booster tank and are usually stored on reels.

Booster Tank
The tank on a pumper or quint that supplies booster lines and hand lines at
a fire until a connection with a water source can be made. The booster tank
on most pumpers is between 500-1,000 gallons. The tank on a quint is
usually smaller, carrying only a couple of hundred gallons.

Box Alarm
Response to report of fire or smoke inside or coming from a structure.
Usually, multiple companies are dispatched at the same time on a box
alarm. Some departments have Haz-Mat and Rescue Boxes for hazardous
materials and rescue calls. The term box alarm orginates from the original
pull boxes located on the street in many communities.


~ D ~

Deck Gun
A large and fixed water nozzle attached to a engine. Deck guns deliver larger
amounts of water than hand-held hose. (See also Master Stream).

Defensive Operations
A fireground strategy based on firefighter safety and the protection of exposures.
The goal is to simply confine the fire to the building/area of origin. No aggressive
interior firefighting operations take place in the defensive mode. All fire streams
are operated onto the fire from the outside. This strategy is employed when a fire
has advanced to the point where attack operations are too dangerous, and/or the
fire is beyond the capabilities of on scene resources.

Drafting
Pulling water from a source other than accepting pressurized water from a
hydrant or another fire apparatus. Cisterns, lakes, ponds and swimming
pools are often used in drafting operations. Many departments in rural areas
and without fire hydrants use drafting.


~ E ~

Engine
The engine is also referred to as a pumper because of its ability to pump
water. In most cases, an engine carries small ground ladders, supply
line to connect it with a hydrant, hand lines to fight the fire with and a tank
holding between 500 and 1,000 gallons of water.

Engine Company
An engine company is a combination of a fire engine and the manpower
used to staff it. A standard engine company will include an officer,
driver/engineer and two firefighters on a pumper truck.

Engineer
The Engineer is the person that drives the Fire Engine or Ladder Truck.
The engineer is also responsible for all of the equipment that is on the
engine and making sure that it is clean and in good working condition.
They also run the pumps, etc. when they are at a fire.

Exposures
Exposures are buildings or structures that are near the structure on fire
and that are placed at risk by the fire. A primary focus of the responding fire
department will be to protect the exposures, thus reducing the risk of the
fire spreading and causing additional damage to life & property.


~ F ~


Flashover
The sudden ignition of all flammable material in a room or
structure. As the fire burns and heat is generated and stored in the room on
fire, it is possible for th heat to accumulate faster than it can use fuel. Once
this reaches critical mass, the heat then turns all the flammables in a room
into fuel at one time. The danger is that his causes an inversion of the
thermal layers because the new fuel is almost always near the floor.
Despite superb protective gear, a firefighter has less than two seconds
to evacuate a room that has a flashover.

Foam
Foam is a concentrate mixed with water or air and applied to any material
that is on fire or could potentially catch fire. The foam creates a barrier
between the material and the heat, preventing ignition of flammable gases.
Foam is commonly used on flammable liquid fires (gas or oil), but is also
being used in some areas for automobile & structure fire applications.

Forcible Entry
The act of gaining access to a structure through means other than
an open window or door. Frequently, firefighters must force open doors that
are locked or remove security doors and bars in order to enter a structure to
search for victims & extinguish a fire. A variety of hand, power & hydraulic
tools can be used for forcible entry.

Forestry Line
A forestry line is a small-diameter, cotton-jacketed handline used to fight
brush and forest fires. Its construction reduces the weight a firefighter has to
pull and therefore reduces fatigue.

Forward Lay
A forward lay is when fire hose is laid from the hydrant to the fire. (See
also reverse lay).


~ H ~


Halligan
An all-purpose steel prying bar used as a forcible entry tool. Invented by
New York City firefighter Huey Halligan.


Handline
A handline is a small diameter hose usually used inside a burning structure
to directly apply water on to the fire. Handlines are usually 1.5 or 1.75
inches in diameter.

Haz-Mat
Stands for Hazardous Materials or we also use it when we talk about a firefighter
that has received extra training. All MHC firefighters are certified at the Operations
Level. Some are trained at the Technician Level.

Hose
Hose is used to deliver water onto a fire and to provide water from hydrants
to firefighting apparatus. The types of hose used include handlines, booster
lines and large diameter hose.


~ I ~

Incident Management System (IMS)
The flexible on scene incident management system that identifies key roles and
tasks that must be filled to safely manage an emergency incident. It stipulates that
one person (Incident Command) is responsible for overall operations during the incident.
The IC delegates responsibility to other officers by assigning them into pre-defined
roles that are understood by everyone operating in the incident. Below are some
of the key IMS positions typically assigned at a fire incident:

COMMAND - The officer responsible for the overall incident
SAFETY - The officer responsible for monitoring the safety of all personnel operating
within the incident perimeter.
STAGING - The officer responsible for collecting and allocating needed personnel and
resources into and out of the incident.
DIVISION - The officer responsible for operations within a geographical area of the
incident. Residential house fires and small commercial structure fires may require a
Division A assignment. Large fires may require all four sides of a building to have a
DIVISION officer assigned to conduct operations on their side of the building.







~ J ~

Jaws
A generic term applied to a type of rescue tool that can cut, push or pull
material (most often pieces of an automobile). Jaws of Life is a synonym,
but is the copyrighted product name of Hurst. Holmatro and Amkus are also
major manufacturers of jaws. The MHC uses Hurst equipment.

Jump Line
A handline stored in an extended bumper (also called a jump bumper) and
preconnected to the engine to allow for a quicker attack.


~ L ~

Ladder Company
Also known as a truck company. An ladder company is a combination of a ladder truck
and the manpower used to staff it. A standard ladder company will include an officer,
driver/engineer and four firefighters on a ladder truck.

Ladder Truck
The ladder truck is referred to as such because of its ability to carry a
full compliment of ground ladders as well as contains either a telescoping
ladder or a platform.

Large Diameter Hose
The biggest hose used by firefighters, large diameter hose (LDH) is
sometimes referred to as a water main above ground. LDH is usually 4-5
inches in diameter and is used to supply water from the hydrant to pumper
trucks. See also supply hose.

Leader Line
A line usually having a gated wye on the end. Leader lines are usually 3 or
2.5 inches in diameter and the wye usually fees two or three 1.5 or 1.75 inch
attack lines.


~ M ~

Master Stream
A large and fixed stream of water. Master streams are used on the end of
aerial ladders on ladder trucks and on top of pumper trucks. Master streams
can deliver larger amounts of water than hand-held hose.

Monitor
A type of master stream similar to a deck gun, but removable from the
apparatus. Hose can be laid into it, making it mobile.


~ O ~

Overhaul
Commonly viewed as "cleaning up" or "mopping up" after a fire, overhaul is
the process of putting a structure in the safest condition following a fire.
Additionally, it is during the overhaul phase of an incident that firefighters verify
that the fire has not extended into unknown areas and that hidden "hot spots" are
extinguished.


~ P ~

Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV)
A technique used to remove smoke and heat from a structure. A large gas or
electric fan is set up (usually within 6' of a doorway) to blow large amounts of
air into a building. Another opening is made somewhere else in the structure.
This creates greater atmospheric pressure inside of the building, pushing the
products of combustion out of the building. This technique is particularly useful
when set up behind the initial attack crew that enters a building. Cool air is
introduced as they enter the structure, lowering the heat level and increasing
visibility.

Pumper
Same as Engine.


~ R ~

Red Line
Same as booster line.

Rescue Company
A rescue company is a term used to describe a rescue truck and the
firefighters used to staff it. A rescue company is equipped and trained to
handle a variety of duties including search and rescue, medical treatment of
victims, suppression at the scene of a fire and the extrication of victims in
motor vehicle accidents. The actual duties of a rescue company can vary in
different parts of the country as does the term to describe one. A Rescue
Company is called a Squad in some areas while other areas use the term
when referring to their ambulances. The MHC's rescue unit is well equipped
to handle any rescue situation.

Reverse Lay
When supply hose is laid from the fire to the water source, placing the pump
at the source of water. (See also forward lay)


~ S ~

Salvage
The process of protecting the contents of a building from fire, smoke and
water damage. Tools used include salvage covers that are placed over
furniture, preventing damage from water and debris.

Still Alarm
A still alarm is a call requiring only one company. Examples of a still alarm
include a small fire or a medical call.

Supply Hose
Hose line used to supply water from a hydrant to fire apparatus. Many
departments use large diameter hose (see above) for this purpose. LDH is
sometimes referred to as a water main above ground and is usually 4-5
inches in diameter. However, some departments use smaller 3 inch hose to
supply water at a fire.


~ T ~

Tanker
A fire truck that is used primarily for carrying water to a fire scene. Tankers
can be in size from 3000 gallons to 10,000 gallons.

Trash Line
Same as jump line, although not neccessarily carried on the front bumper.

Truck Company
See Ladder Company.


~ U ~

Up and Over
A standard ventilation operation conducted by a team of firefighters wherein
ladders are raised at a working fire involving a rowhouse-type dwelling to gain
access to the roof to allow the firefighters to ventilate the involved dwelling.
The intent is to get the upper floor opened up as quickly as possible. This is
accomplished by opening skylights and/or scuttles and ensuring windows in
the rear and front are taken out at the same time. The advantage of this
operation is that many times, it is difficult to bring portable ladders to the
rear of a row type dwelling in some areas due to trash-strewn, overgrown,
narrow, winding alley-ways. A 6 ft. hook allows the one firefighter venting the
rear to reach down (carefully where wires are involved) and take out (break)
the windows. Any blinds, curtains, or drapes can be snagged with the hook
to remove them and thereby facilitate the speedy evacuation of super-heated
smoke and gases.


~ V ~

Ventilation
Ventilation is the systematic removal of smoke from a building. Ventilation is
usually accomplished with one of two methods: positive and negative
pressure ventilation. Positive pressure ventilation increases the atmospheric
pressure in the building until its grater than the pressure outside the building.
With negative pressure ventilation, the pressure inside the building is
reduced until its less than the pressure outside the building.