This glossary of terms has been developed to promote standardisation of terminology used in rural fire management in New Zealand.

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A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

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A

Abort	To jettison a load of water or retardant from an aircraft.
Accelerant	Any substance (such as oil, gasoline, etc) that is applied to a fuel-bed to expedite the burning process.
Aerial Detection	The discovering, locating and reporting of fires from aircraft.
Aerial Fuels	The standing and supporting combustibles not in direct contact with the ground and consisting mainly of foliage, twigs, branches, stems, bark and creepers. See Crown Fuels
Aerial Ignition	The igniting of wild-land fuels by dropping incendiary devices or materials from aircraft.
Aerial Ignition Device (AID)	Any device used for the purpose of aerial ignition.
Aerial Reconnaissance	The use of aircraft for observing fire behaviour, the threat to values, control activity, and other critical factors to facilitate command decisions on strategies needed for suppression.
Air Attack	The direct use of aircraft in the suppression of wildfire.
Air Operations Boss	The person responsible for co-ordinating all air operations (eg fire bombing, aerial detection, transport).
Allocated Resources	Resources deployed to an incident.
Anchor Point	An advantageous location from which a fire-line can be constructed.  It is used to minimise the possibility of being outflanked by a fire while the line is being constructed.
Anemometer	A meteorological instrument used to measure wind speed.
Appreciation	The systematic process in which all the factors affecting an incident and which lead to the development of a plan are considered.
Aspect	The direction towards which a slope faces. (eg  north, east, south, west).
Assembly Area	An area where resources are organised and prepared for deployment.  It includes the provision of welfare and equipment maintenance facilities.
Assigned Resources	Resources checked in an assigned work tasks on an incident.
Atmospheric Stability	A meteorological term referring to the resistance of the atmosphere to turbulence and vertical motion (upward).  With reference to fire management activities the atmosphere is usually described as stable, or unstable.
Available Fuel	The portion of the total fuel that would actually burn under various specified conditions.
Available Resources	Incident-based resources ready for deployment.

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B

Back-burn	A counter-fire commenced from within continuous fuel for the purpose of fighting a fire.  Reference the Forest and Rural Fire Act 1997.
Backing Fire	The part of a fire which is burning back against the wind, where the flame height and rate of spread is minimal.
Barometer	A meteorological instrument used to measure atmospheric air pressure.  Expressed in hectopascals.
Barrier to Fire	Any obstruction to the spread of fire - typically, an area or strip devoid of combustible material.
Beaufort Wind Scale	A method for estimating wind speed based on observation of visual indicators of wind effects (eg smoke drift, flat and three movement).  Suggested for use when an anemometer is not available.
Belt Weather Kit	A type of portable fire weather station.  It may include a sling psychrometer, hand-held wind-meter, pencil(s), and a booklet of weather report forms, carried in a canvas case which can be attached to a person’s belt.
Blow Up	A sudden increase in fire intensity and rate of spread, sufficient to prelude immediate control, or to upset existing suppression plans.  It is often accompanied by powerful convection.
Breakaway	The points at which a fire, after it has been contained, escapes into unburnt areas across a fire line or fire edge.
Briefing	A general overview of an operation.
Brigade	A unit of personnel including officers, crews.
Buffer	A strip or block of land on which the fuels are reduced to provide protection to surrounding lands.
Buildup Index	See Fire Weather Index System
Burn or Burned Area	An area over which fire has run.
Burn Plan	Means a prescription defining the location, sequence, method, and precautions to be observed in carrying out a prescribed burn.
Burning Conditions	The state of the combined components of the fire environment that influence fire behaviour and fire impact in a given fuel type.  Usually specified in terms of such factors as fire weather elements, fire danger indexes, fuel load, and slope.
Burning Off	Generally, setting fire - with more or less regulation to areas carrying unwanted vegetation such as rough grass, slash, and other fuels.
Burning Snag	When fire is involved in the top of an isolated tree or dead tree trunk.
Burnout	A counter-fire commenced from a natural or previously constructed firebreak for the purpose of fighting a fire.  Reference, the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1997.
Bush	A general term for forest or woodland, but normally used to describe indigenous forest.

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C

Cache	A predetermined complement of supplies stored in a designated location.
Candle	A tree (or small clump of trees) is said to candle when its foliage ignites and flares up, usually from the bottom to top.
Canopy Cover/Canopy Density	The foliage cover from the crowns of the trees in a forest.  It is usually expressed as a percentage on the area of ground covered.
Changeover	The orderly replacement of personnel.
Charged Line	A line of fire hose filled with water under pressure and ready to use.
Check-in	The process whereby resources first report to an incident.
CIMS	Coordinated Incident Management System.
Class A Foam	See Foam.
Clean Burn - Clear Burn	Any fire, whether deliberately set or accidental, that destroys all above ground vegetation and litter along with the lighter slash thus exposing the mineral soil.
Cloud Cover	The amount of sky covered or obscured by cloud, expressed in eighths.  Eight eighths is complete cloud cover.
Coarse Fuels	Dead woody material, greater than 25 mm in diameter, in contact with the soil surface (fallen trees and branches.
Cold Front	See Front.
Cold Trailing	Cold Trailing - A method of determining whether or not a fire is still burning, involving careful inspection and feeling with the hand, or by use of a hand-held infrared scanner, to detect any heat source.
Combustion	Consumption of fuels by oxidation, evolving heat, and generally flame and/or incandescence.
Command	The internal direction of members and resources of an agency in the performance of the agency’s role and tasks.  Command relates to single agencies and operates vertically within an agency.
Compartment	The basic administrative unit of a forest.
Conservation Area	Has the same meaning as in the Conservation Act 1987, and includes land being managed under section 61 or section 62 of the Act; but does not include any marginal strip as defined in section 2(1) of that Act.
Contained	A fire is contained when its spread has been halted, but it may still be burning freely within the perimeter or fire control lines.
Control	The overall direction of response activities in an emergency situation.  Authority for control is established in legislation or by agreement and carries with it the responsibility for tasking and coordinating other agencies.  Control relates to situations and can operate at either the single agency level or horizontally across agencies.
Control Line	Any line, including the fire-line, natural fire-breaks, and/or retardant lines, from which the fire is being fought.  For example, a fire may be fought from a creek, road, fire-break or from a series of fire-breaks connected by fire-lines.  The total endeavor is a control line.
Controlled	The time at which the complete perimeter of a fire is secured and no breakaway is expected.
Controlled Burning	See Prescribed Burning.
Convection Burn	A method of prescribed burning in which fires are set in the centre of an area to create a strong convective column.  Additional fires are then set progressively closer to the outer control lines causing indraft winds to build up.  This has the effect of drawing the fires towards the centre.
Convection Column	The rising column of smoke, ash, burning embers and other matter generated by a fire.
Coordinated IMS (CIMS)	A structure to systematically manage emergency incidents.
Coordination	The bringing together of agencies and resources to ensure consistent and effective response to an incident.
Crew	The basic unit of a wildfire suppression force.  It normally consists of five to ten personnel.
Crew Boss	A person in supervisory charge of usually 4 to 8 firefighters and responsible for their performance, safety and welfare.
Cross Bearings	Intersecting lines of sight from two or more points on the same object;  used to determine the location of wildfire from look-outs.
Crown Fire	A fire that advances from top to top of trees or shrubs more or less independently of the surface fire.  Sometimes crown fires are classed as either running or dependent, to distinguish the degree of independence from the surface fire.
Crown Fuels	The standing and support forest combustibles not in direct contact with the ground that are generally only consumed in crown fires (eg foliage, twigs, branches, cones).
Crown Scorch	Browning of the needles or leaves in the crown of a tree or shrub caused by heat from a fire.

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E

Ecosystem	The interacting system of a biological community, both plant and animal, and its non living surroundings.
Elapsed Time	The difference in time between the beginning of any action and its actual accomplishment;  in fire fighting operations it is customarily divided into: Discovery Time: - from start of a fire until the time of discovery. Report Time: - from discovery of a fire until notified of its existence and location. Get-Away Time: - from receipt of report of a fire until departure of the initial attack force.  Synonym - Response Time. Travel Time: - between departure of the initial attack force and its arrival at the fire. Attack Time: - from receipt of first report of a fire to start of actual fire fighting. Control Time: - from initial attack until the fire is controlled. Mop-up Time: - from achievement of control until enough work has been done to ensure the fire cannot rekindle. Patrol Time: - from completion of mop-up until the fire is declared out.
Elevated Dead Fuel	Dead fuel forming part of, or being suspended in, the shrub layer.
Ember Transport	See Heat Transfer
Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)	An established facility where the response to an incident may be supported.
Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC)	The moisture content that a fuel element would attain if exposed for an infinite period in an environment of specified constant dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity.  When a fuel element has reached its EMC, it neither gains nor loses moisture as long as conditions remain constant.
Equipment	Means fire suppression equipment which may include hose pumps, fire engines, hand tools, etc.
Escape Route	A pre-planned route away from danger areas at a fire.
Escaped Fire	A wildfire (or prescribed fire that has burned beyond its intended area) that remains out of control following initial attack.
Exotic Forest	Means a forest, woodlot, or plantation comprised principally or entirely of tree species not indigenous to New Zealand.
Exposure	Means the value of the likely loss through fire as assessed by the Fire Officer at the incident.
Extinguishing Agent	A substance used to put out a fire by cooling the burning material block the supply of oxygen, or chemically inhibiting combustion.
Extreme Fire Behaviour	A level of wildfire behaviour characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct suppression action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rates of spread prolific crowning and/or spotting presence of fire whirls a strong convective column Predictability is difficult because such fires often exercise some degree of influence on their environment and behave erratically, sometimes dangerously.
Extreme Fire Danger	The highest fire danger classification.

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F

Farming	Includes: (i) The use of land for orchards. (ii) The use of trees as shelter belts to mitigate the effects of wind on pastures, crops, or orchards. (iii) The maintenance of any area of land on which trees, shrubs, plants, or grasses are maintained under section 134 of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941. Does note include farm forestry or any other type of commercial or semi-commercial forestry.
Finance/Administration	A unit which may be established to provide advise on financial implications or be utilised to track times, costs, procurement, and compensation.
Fine Fuels = Flash Fuels	Fuels such as grass, leaves, dropped pine needles, fern tree moss, and some kinds of slash that ignite rapidly and are consumed rapidly when dry.
Fine Fuel Moisture Code	See Fire Weather Index System.
Finger(s) of a Fire	The long narrow extensions of a fire projecting from the main body.
Fire	The chemical reaction between fuel, oxygen and heat. Heat is necessary to start the reaction and once ignited, fire produces its own heat and becomes self-supporting.
Fire Authority	Means: In relation to a rural fire district, the rural fire committee in which the administration of the district is vested or, as the case may be, the Minister of Conservation or the Minister of Defence. In relation to a territorial area, the territorial authority having jurisdiction in respect of that area. In relation to any State area, the Minister of Conservation. In relation to the fire safety margin of any State area, the Minister of Conservation to the extent provided by section 14(5) of this Act. In relation to any land or other property subject to any agreement or arrangement made pursuant to subsection (1) or subsection (2) of section 14 of this Act, the party thereby appointed to act. Provided that the power and duties of that party as a Fire Authority shall extend only as far as is provided by that agreement or arrangement. In relation to any land or other property in respect of which a local authority exercises the functions of a Fire Authority pursuant to section 9(b) of this Act, that local authority to the extent approved under that section by the New Zealand Fire Service Commission.
Fire Ban	Means the prohibition of the lighting of fires in the open air, except that gas fired barbecues, hangis and umus, or diesel or spirit cookers, or enclosed cray pot boilers or animal food cookers can be used.
Fire Behaviour	The manner in which fuel ignites, flame develops, and fire spreads and exhibits other related phenomena as determined by the interaction of fuels, weather, and topography.
Fire Bombing	A technique of suppressing a wildfire by dropping water, foam or retardants on it from an aircraft.
Fire Boss = Incident Controller	The person responsible for all the overall management of suppression and service activities on a fire.
Fire Brand	A piece of burning material.
Fire Break	Means a natural or artificial physical barrier against the spread of fire from or into any area of continuous flammable material.
Fire Control	See Fire Suppression
Fire Control Line	See Control Line
Fire Crew	A general term for four to eight firefighters organised to work as a unit.
Fire Damage(s)	Any effect(s) of fire that are detrimental or damaging in terms of the attainment of forest management and other land use objectives.
Fire Danger	A general term used to express an assessment of both fixed and variable factors of the fire environment that determine the ease of ignition, rate of spread, difficulty of control, and fire impact.  See Fire Hazard, Fire Risk.
Fire Danger Rating	The process of systematically evaluating and integrating the individual and combined factors influencing fire danger represented in the form of fire danger indexes.
Fire Debrief	Means a post-fire examination of the events of a fire, with the objectives of confirming best practice and identifying any training, equipment, plant, management or procedural aspects for future improvement.
Fire Detection	A system for or the act of discovering, locating, and reporting wildfires.
Fire District	A geographic subdivision under organised protection from fires.
Fire Ecology	The study of the relationships between fire, the physical environment, and living organisms.
Fire Edge	Any part of the boundary of a fire at a given moment. - note: The entire boundary is termed the fire perimeter.
Fire Environment	The surrounding conditions, influences, and modifying forces of topography, fuel, and fire weather that determine fire behaviour.
Fire Fighting Forces	Qualified firefighters, together with their equipment and material, used to suppress wild-land fires.
Fire Finder	A device or instrument used to determine the horizontal bearing and sometimes the vertical angle of a fire from a lookout.
Fire Front	The strip of primarily flaming combustion along the fire perimeter, a particularly active fire edge.
Fire Ground	Means any area of land, vegetation, or property where the fire is burning or has burnt or is threatening, in the opinion of the Fire Officer.
Fire Hazard	A general term to describe the potential fire behaviour, without regard to the state of weather-influenced fuel moisture content, and/or resistance to fire-guard construction for a given fuel type.  This may be expressed in either the absolute (e.g., “cured grass is a fire hazard”) or comparative (e.g., “clear-cut logging slash is a greater fire hazard than a deciduous cover type”) sense.  Such an assessment is based on physical fuel characteristics (e.g., fuel arrangement, fuel load, condition of vegetation, presence of ladder fuels).  See Fire Danger and Fire Risk.
Fire Hazard Reduction	Treatment of living or dead forest fuels to diminish the likelihood of a fire starting and to lessen the potential rate of spread and resistance to control.  Synonym - Fuel Treatment.
Fire Hazardous Areas	An area where the combination of vegetation, topography, weather, and the threat of fire to life and property create difficult and dangerous problems.
Fire Intensity	See Frontal Fire Intensity
Fire Management	All activities associated with the management of fire-prone land, including the use of fire to meet land management goals and objectives.
Fire Perimeter	The entire outer boundary of a fire area.
Fire Permits	In relation to lighting fires in the open air means a fire control measure in accordance with which a person may light such fires without committing an offence against Sections 23(1) of the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977.
Fire Plan	A statement of fire control policy, chain of command and procedures by a Rural Fire Authority.
Fire Prevention	Activities directed at reducing fire occurrence;  includes public education, law enforcement, personal contact, and reduction of fire hazards and risks.
Fire Progress Map	A map providing information on a fire, detailing the location of its perimeter, deployment of suppression forces, and the progress of suppression activities.
Fire Protection	All activities designed to protect an area (including human life, property, assets and values) from damage by fire.
Fire Regime	The history of fire use in a particular vegetation type or area including the frequency, intensity and season of burning. It may also include proposals for the use of fire in a given area.
Fire Report	An official record of a fire, generally including information on cause, location, action taken, damage, costs, and so on, from start of the fire until completion of suppression action.
Fire Retardant	Means a chemical substance which when mixed with water and applied to vegetation ahead of a fire retards ignition.
Fire Risk	The probability or chance of fire starting determined by the presence of activities of causative agents (i.e. potential number of ignition sources).   See Fire Hazard, Fire Danger.
Fire Run	A rapid advance of a fire front.  It is characterised by a marked transition in intensity and rate of spread.
Fire Scar	A healing or healed-over injury caused or aggravated by fire on a woody plant. A destructive mark left on a landscape by fire.
Fire Season	The period(s) of the year during which fires are likely to occur, spread and do sufficient damage to warrant organised fire control.
Fire Simulator	A training device that imposes simulated depictions of fire activities to instruct fire management personnel in different fire situations and fire suppression techniques.
Fire Storm	Violent convection caused by a large continuous area of intense fire; often characterised by destructively violent surface indrafts, a towering convection column, long distance spotting, and sometimes by tornado-like whirlwinds.
Fire Suppressant	Means a chemical designed to reduce the surface tension of water and to hold water in suspension thus increasing its efficiency as a suppressant.
Fire Suppression	All the work and activities connected with fire-extinguishing operations, beginning with discovery and continuing until the fire is completely extinguished.
Fire Suppression Organisation	The management structure, usually shown in the form of an organisation chart, of the personnel collectively assigned to the suppression of a fire.
Fire Triangle	An instructional aid in which the sides of an equilateral triangle represent the three factors necessary for combustion and flame production (i.e. oxygen, heat and fuel).
Fire Weather	Collectively, those weather parameters that influence fire occurrence and subsequent fire behaviour (e.g. dry-bulb temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, atmospheric stability, winds aloft).
Fire Weather Forecast	A prediction of the future state of the atmosphere prepared specifically to meet the needs of fire management in fire suppression and prescribed burning operations.
Fire Weather Index System	The FWI System provides numerical ratings of relative wildland fire potential.  The first three components are fuel moisture codes that follow daily changes in the moisture contents of three classes of forest fuel with different drying rates.  The higher values represent lower moisture contents and hence greater flammability.  The final three components are fire behaviour indexes, representing rate of spread, amount of available fuel, and fire intensity; their values increase as fire weather severity worsens.  The system is dependent on weather only and does not consider differences in risk, fuel, or topography.  It provides a uniform method of rating fire danger throughout New Zealand.  The components are described below: Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC): - A numerical rating of the moisture content of litter and other cured fine fuels.  This code is an indicator of the relative ease of ignition and flammability of fine fuel. Duff Moisture Code (DMC): - A numerical rating of the average moisture content of loosely compacted organic layers of moderate depth.  This code gives an indication of fuel consumption in moderate duff layers and medium-size woody material. Drought Code (DC): - A numerical rating of the average moisture content of deep, compact, organic layers.  This code is a useful indicator of seasonal drought effects on forest fuels, and amount of smouldering in deep duff layers and large logs. Initial Spread Index (ISI): - A numerical rating of the expected rate of fire spread.  It combines the effects of wind and FFMC on rate of spread without the influence of variable quantities of fuel. Buildup Index (BUI): - A numerical rating of the total amount of fuel available for combustion that combines DMC and DC. Fire Weather Index (FWI): - A numerical rating of fire intensity that combines ISI and BUI.  It is suitable as a general index of fire danger throughout the forested and rural areas of New Zealand.
Fire Weather Station	See Remote Automated Weather Station.
Fire Weather Station Network	A grid of specifically designated weather observation sites from which operational fire weather data are collected on a daily basis.
Fire Whirl or Fire Whirlwind	A spinning, moving column of hot air and gases rising up from a fire and carrying aloft smoke, debris, flame and firebrands.  These range from less than one metre to several hundred metres in diameter.  They may involve the entire fire area or only hot spots within or outside the fire perimeter.
Fire Wind	The inflow of air at the fire source caused by the action of convection. It is not to be confused with a prevailing wind.
Firebrand	A piece of flaming or smouldering material capable of acting as an ignition source.
Firebreak	Any natural or constructed discontinuity in a fuel-bed utilised to segregate, stop, and control the spread of fire or to provide a control line from which to suppress a fire.
Firefighter	A person whose principal function is fire suppression.
Fire-fighting Forces	A team of fire-fighters, together with their equipment and material, used to suppress wild-land fires.
Fire-line	A natural or constructed barrier, or treated fire edge, used in fire suppression and prescribed burning to limit the spread of fire.
Fixed Standards of Cover	Means the standards as laid down in the Code of Practice with which all Rural Fire Authorities must comply regardless of time danger classification.
Flame Angle	The angle formed between the flame at the fire front and the ground surface, expressed in degrees.
Flame Depth	The width of the zone within which continuous flaming occurs behind the edge of a fire front.  Recommended SI unit is metres (m).
Flame Height	The vertical distance between the tip of the flame and ground level, excluding higher flame flashes.
Flame Length	The length of flames measured along their axis at the fire front; the distance between the flame height tip and the midpoint of the flame depth at the ground surface.  Flame length is an approximate indicator of frontal fire intensity.  Recommended SI unit is metres (m).
Flammability	The ease with which a substance is set on fire.
Flank Attack	Obtaining control of a fire by attacking its side/s (flank).
Flanks/Flanks of a  Fire	Those parts of a fire’s perimeter that are roughly parallel to the main direction of spread.
Flare-up	Any sudden acceleration of fire spread or intensification of the fire or a part of the fire.  Unlike blow-up, a flare-up is of relatively short duration and does not radically change existing control plans.
Flash-over	Rapid combustion and/or explosion of trapped, unburned gases.  Usually occurs only in poorly ventilated areas.  Can occur on wild-land fires when gases are trapped in topographic pockets or accumulate over a broad area when there is a temporary lull in air movement.
Foam (Class A)	A chemical concentrate added to water that combines foaming and wetting agents specifically formulated for extinguishing wildfires. The foam is biodegradable, non toxic and is used at very low concentrates.
Follow Up	The act of supporting or increasing the efforts of initial attack forces by increasing suppression resources and commitment to control.
Forest	A plant community predominantly of trees and other woody vegetation growing more or less closely together.  Either natural or plantation.
Forest Fire	A fire burning mainly in forest and/or woodland.
Forest Floor	The organic surface component of the soil supporting forest vegetation;  the combined duff (if present) and litter layers).
Forest Owner	Means a person or company who owns forest estate.
Forest Protection	That branch of forestry concerned with the prevention and control of damage to forests.
Forest Type	An description of the predominant tree species in a forest.
Free-burning	A general term to describe the condition of a fire or portion of a fire perimeter that is unaffected by natural or man-made barriers to fire growth and/or any suppression measures taken.
Front	In meteorology, the boundary between two air masses of different density.  A cold front represents the leading edge of colder air replacing warmer air;  the reverse of this is a warm front.
Frontal Fire Intensity	The rate of heat energy release per unit time per unit length of fire front. Frontal fire intensity is a major determinant of certain fire effects and difficulty of control.  Numerically, it is equal to the produce of the net heat of combustion, quantity of fuel consumed in the flaming front, and linear rate of spread.  Recommended SI unit is kilowatts per metre (kW/m).
Fuel	Any material such as grass, leaf litter and live vegetation which can be ignited and sustains a fire.
Fuel Arrangement	A general term referring to the horizontal and vertical distribution of all combustible materials.
Fuel Load	The dry weight of combustible materials per unit area.  Recommended SI units are kilograms per square metre (kg/m2 and tonnes per hectare (t/ha).
Fuel Management	Modification of fuels by prescribed burning, or other means.
Fuel Modification	Any manipulation (including lopping, mowing, burning and changing of species) for the purpose of reducing their flammability.
Fuel Moisture Content	The water content of a fuel particle expressed as a percent of the oven dry weight of the fuel particle. (%ODW).
Fuel Type	An identifiable association of fuel elements of distinctive species, form, size, arrangement, or other characteristics that will cause a predictable rate of fire spread or difficulty of control under specified weather conditions.
Fuel Weight	The oven dry weight of fuel per unit area is usually expressed in tonnes per hectare.

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G

Grid Reference	(Standard six figure) + Map Number (e.g. G46-304392). Is a method of locating a particular point on a NZMS 260 series map from Eastings and Northings.  The method of giving a map reference is generally shown on the map margin.
Ground Crew	See Hand Crew.
Ground Fire	Fire that burns the organic material in the soil layer (e.g. a “peat fire”) and often also the surface litter and small vegetation.
Ground Fuel	All combustible materials below the surface litter, including duff, tree or shrub, roots, punky wood, peat, and sawdust that normally support a glowing combustion without flame.
Ground Operations Boss	The person responsible for coordinating all ground operations (e.g. fire appliances and crews, heavy machine).

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J

Jump Fire

See Spot Fire.

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K

Knock Down

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

Manager Rural Fire	Means any person who is a member of the New Zealand Fire Service with qualifications and experience in forestry and rural fire management and holds an appointment as a Manager Rural Fire.
Medium Fuels	Fuels too large to be ignited until after the leading edge of the fire front passes, but small enough to be completely consumed.
Mineral Earth	A term used to describe being completely free of any vegetation or other combustible material.
Minimum Requirements	Means the minimum requirements in terms of personnel and equipment as laid down in the Code of Practice.
Minimum Standards of Cover	Means the minimum resources personnel/equipment required to undertake effective fire control or suppression operations.
Mobilisation	The processes and procedures for organisations to activate, assemble, and transport the requested resources to an incident.
Moisture Content	See Fuel Moisture Content.
Mopping-up (mop-up)	Making a fire safe after it has been controlled, by extinguishing or removing burning material along or near the control line, felling snags, trenching logs to prevent rolling, and the like.
Multi-Agency Response	An incident which requires a response from two or more agencies.
Multiple Fire Situation	A circumstance of high fire incidence over short periods of time in any administrative unit, usually overtaxing the normal initial attack capability of the unit.

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N

National Rural Fire Authority	Means the National Rural Fire Authority constituted under section 14A(1) of the Fire Service Act 1975.
National Rural Fire Officer	Means the National Rural Fire Officer appointed under section 17W of the Fire Service Act 1975.
Natural Barrier	Any area where lack of flammable material obstructs the spread of vegetation fires.
New Zealand Fire Weather Index	See Fire Weather Index System.
NZMS 260:  Series	Means a series of topographical maps drawn to a scale of 1:50,000.

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O

Objective	A statement of what is to be achieved.
One Lick Method	A progressive system of building fire-line 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 Air	In relation to fires, means otherwise than within: (a) A fireplace (including any enclosed fireproof place or incinerator for combustion by fire) constructed and maintained in a dwelling or other structure or in any other place to the approval of the public or local authority having jurisdiction to issue the relevant permit to build such dwelling or structure or to authorise the construction or installation of the fireplace; or (b) An incinerator operated by or with the written approval of the Director-General of Conservation or of a Fire Officer having jurisdiction to issue permits to light fires within the relevant district within which the State area is situated; or (c) Any barbecue, whether fixed or portable: (i) Which is of a type or construction prescribed by regulations under this Act or authorised, specifically or generally, by the Fire Officer or Chief Fire Officer within whose jurisdiction the barbecue is to be used;  and (ii) Which is used in any area so prescribed or authorised. (d) Such other receptacle or place as may from time to time be authorised by the Fire Authority for the relevant District or be prescribed.
Open Season or Open Fire Season	In respect of any area or district, means a period of time, whether or fixed or indefinite duration, during which period the lighting of fires in the open air in that area or district is neither prohibited nor restricted under section 22 of the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1995.
Operations	The direction, supervision, and implementation of tactics in accordance with the Incident Action Plan.
Operations Officer	The Officer responsible for directing and supervising all work on the fire ground under the direction of the Incident Controller.
Orders	Directions comprising a clearly defined task and the method of achieving it given by a commander to those who will execute it (as opposed to “Instructions”).
Origin(s) of a Fire - Point(s) of Origin	The location(s) within the fire perimeter where ignition(s) first occurred.

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P

Parallel Attack	A method of suppression in which fire-line is constructed approximately parallel to and just far enough from the fire edge to enable firefighters and equipment to work effectively. The intervening strip of unburnt fuel  is normally burnt out as the control line proceeds.
Parallel Pumping	A procedure whereby the flow from two fire pumps is combined into one hose line.
Parts of a Fire	Bay(s): - A marked indentation(s) in the fire perimeter, usually located between two fingers. Finger(s): - An elongated burned area(s) projecting from the main body of the fire resulting in an irregular fire perimeter. Flanks: - Those portions of the fire perimeter that are between the head and the back of the fire which are roughly parallel to the main direction of spread. Head: - That portion of the fire perimeter having the greatest rate of spread and frontal fire intensity which is generally on the downwind and/or up-slope part of the fire.  Synonym - Front. Base: - That portion of the fire perimeter opposite the head;  the slowest spreading part of the fire.  Synonyms - Back, Heel, and Rear. Island(s): - An area(s) of unburned fuels located within the fire perimeter.
Perimeter	See Fire Perimeter.
Permit	In relation to the lighting of fires in the open air, means a fire control measure in accordance with which a person may light such fires without committing an offence against section 23(1) of this Act; and includes a special permit issued pursuant to section 24 of this Act.
Permit Burn	Means a burn carried out under permit from a Fire Authority as a fire control measure.
Plan of Attack	See Incident Action Plan.
Planning/Intelligence Officer	Manages the planning section of an incident management team.
Planning/Intelligence	The collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information related to the incident and the preparation and documentation of the Incident Action Plan.
Point of Attack	The part of the fire on which work is started when suppression forces arrive.
Point(s) of Origin	The location(s) within the fire perimeter where ignition(s) first occurred.  Synonym - Origin(s) of a Fire.
Polygon	Means a many sided figure to define an area of similar geographic and climatic conditions.
Pre Planned Dispatch	The pre-planned dispatch of designated suppression forces to fires in predetermined zones. It is usually dependent on the location of the fire, and the forecast fire danger.
Precipitation	Any or all of the forms of water, whether liquid (i.e. rain or drizzle) or solid (e.g. snow or hail) that fall from the atmosphere and reach the ground.  The more common term “rainfall”.  Precipitation is the preferred general term.
Preparedness	The degree to which an agency is prepared to respond to a potential fire situation. A mental readiness to recognise changes in fire danger and to act promptly when action is appropriate.
Prescribed Burn Plan	See Burn Plan.
Prescribed Burning	The controlled application of fire under specified environmental conditions to a predetermined area and at the time, intensity, and rate of spread required to attain planned resource management objectives.
Presuppression	Those fire management activities in advance of fire occurrence concerned with the organisation, training and management of a fire fighting force and the procurement, maintenance and inspection of improvements, equipment and supplies to ensure effective fire suppression.
Prevention	See Fire Prevention.
Principal Fire Officer	(a) In relation to any State area for which a Principal Rural Fire Officer is appointed by the Minister [of Conservation] or any other district for which a Principal Rural Fire Officer is appointed by the Fire Authority, means that officer or, where he is absent or unavailable or unable to act, the person acting as Principal Fire Officer pursuant to the Fire Plan for that area or district. (b) In relation to any district (other than a State area) for which there is only one Fire Officer, means that officer or, where he is absent or unavailable or unable to act, the person acting as Principal Fire Officer pursuant to the Fire Plan for that district. (c) In relation to any State area for which no Principal Rural Fire Officer has been appointed by the Minister [of Conservation], means any [Rural Fire Officer appointed under section 13(3) of this Act and any warranted officer appointed under section 59(1) of the Conservation Act 1987].
Principal Rural Fire Officer	Means a Principal Rural Fire Officer appointed under Section 13 of the Forest and Rural Fire Act 1977.
Prohibited Season or Prohibited Fire Season	Means a period of time, whether of fixed or indefinite duration, specified pursuant to this act, during which period the lighting of fires in the open air is prohibited under this Act.
Property	Includes real and personal property, and any estate or interest in any real or personal property, and any debt, and any thing in action, and any other right or interest; and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing words, shall be deemed to include any public work (as defined by [the Public Works Act 1981]) situated within a district, and in particular any stopbank so situated.
Psychrometer	The general name for instruments designed for determining the relative humidity of the air.  A psychorometer consists of a wet-and-dry-bulb thermometer, generally with the aid of psychrometric tables or a psychrometric slide rule.

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Q

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R

Rain Gauge	The general name for instruments designed to measure the amount of rain that has fallen.
Rate of Perimeter Increase	The rate at which the perimeter is increasing in linear measure over time, generally measured as m/hr.
Rate Of Spread (ROS)	The forward progress per unit time of the head fire or another specified part of the fire perimeter generally measured as m/hr.
Readiness	See Preparedness.
Rear = Base	The section of the perimeter opposite to and generally upwind (or down slope), from the head of the fire.
Reburn	Burning of an area over which a fire has previously passed but left fuel which can be ignited.
Reconnaissance	Inspection of a fire area for the purpose of obtaining information about current and probable fire behaviour and fire suppression information.
Regional Fire Emergency	Means a regional fire emergency of the kind described in section 39(1) of the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1975.
Regional Rural Fire Committee	Means a committee established pursuant to section 17X(i)(d) of the Fire Service Act 1975.
Relative Humidity (RH)	The amount of water vapour in a given volume of air, expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount of water vapour the air can hold at that temperature.
Relay Pump	An intermediary pump for supplying additional lift in pumping water uphill past the first pump capacity.
Relief Crew	The replacement of personnel whose period of time at the incident has concluded.
Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS)	A weather station at which the services of an observer are not required.  A RAWS unit measures selected weather elements automatically and is equipped with telemetry apparatus for transmitting the electronically recorded data via radio, satellite, or by a land-line communication system at predetermined times or on a user request basis.
Report of Fire	The notification of the detection of a fire to the Fire Service.
Report Time	Elapsed time from discovery of a fire until the first of the personnel charged with initiating action for the fire suppression is notified of its existence and location.
Reserve	Personnel or apparatus not in first line duty, but available in abnormal emergency conditions.
Resources	All personnel and equipment available, or potentially available, for assignment to incidents.
Response Time	The time taken between the report of a fire or incident, and arrival at the scene. It includes both reaction time and travel time.
Restricted Season or Restricted Fire Season	Means a period of time, whether of fixed or indefinite duration, specified pursuant to this Act, during which period permits or authorities are required by the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1975 for the lighting of fires in the open air.
Retardant	See Fire Retardant.
Risk	The chance of something happening that will have an impact on objectives.
Roster	Means a list of trained personnel available to receive fire calls and initiate emergency action.
Rotor Down-wash	The air turbulence occurring under and around the main rotor system(s) of an operating rotary-wing aircraft (i.e. a helicopter). See Vortex Turbulence.
Rural Fire District	Means a Rural Fire District constituted under the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1975.
Rural Fire Management Code of Practice	Means the code of practice of that name published under section 14A(2)(e) of the Fire Service Act 1975.
Rural Fire Officer	Means a Rural Fire Officer appointed under Section 13 of the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977.
Rural Fire Polygon	(i) An area with one or more substances which may or may not be contiguous e.g. plantation blocks off-shore islands or small reserves; or (ii) A broad area which may or may not be contiguous but which has similar climatic and  topographical conditions.

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S

Safe Forward Point	A safe location near the incident from which the forward operations can be supported.
Safety Officer	The designated officer responsible for assessing hazards and for developing measures for ensuring safety.
Scorch Height	The height above ground level up to which foliage has been browned by a fire.
Scrub	Means indigenous shrub species manuka, kanuka, non-merchantable species and may include gorse, bracken, fern, broom, blackberry or other introduced species.  May contain regenerating native bush.
Scrub Fire	Fires burning in scrub.
Sector	A portion of an incident’s perimeter.
Sector Boss	A person assigned to manage a sector of a fire or accident.
Short-Term Retardant	A water-based substance wherein water is the fire suppressing agent.
Single Agency	An incident requiring a response from only one agency.
Situation Report (Sitrep)	A brief of an incident, usually given at regular intervals.
Size-up	The evaluation of a fire officer to determine a course of action for suppression.
Slash	Means the residue left on the ground following a logging operation (exotic or indigenous).
Slash Burn	A prescribed burn conducted to consume slash for fire hazard reduction or silvicultural purposes.
Sling Psychrometer	A portable, hand-operated psychrometer.  The dry- and wet- bulb thermometers are mounted on a frame connected to a handle.  Thus, it can be whirled by hand to provide the necessary ventilation.
Slope	The upward or downward inclination of the earth’s surface (i.e. the deviation in terrain from level or flat ground).  Most commonly expressed in degrees from horizontal.
SMEACC	An acronym for a standard sequence when directing actions.  It represents: Situation Mission Execution Administration Command Communications
Smoke Management	Scheduling and conducing a prescribed burning program under predetermined burning prescriptions and firing techniques that will minimise the adverse impacts of the resulting smoke production in smoke sensitive areas. See Ventilation Index.
Smouldering Fire	A fire burning without flame and barely spreading.
Snag (Spar)	A standing dead tree or standing portion from which at least the leaves and smaller branches have fallen.
Span Of Control	A concept which relates to the number of groups or individuals controlled by one person. A ratio of 1:5 is recommended.
Spark Arrestor	Means a device fitted to the exhaust system of machinery for trapping carbon sparks.
Specially Protected Property	Means property which, or the nature of which has been defined in the Gazettee under Section 6 of the Forest and Rural Fires Act.
Spot Fire	Fire started outside the perimeter of the main fire by flying sparks or embers originating from the main fire.
Spotting	The ignition of spot fires from sparks or embers.
Stable Atmosphere	See Atmospheric Stability.
Staging Area	A designated location where resources are gathered prior to deployment.
Stand-By	The period during which personnel are to be immediately available at home or other location for fire suppression purposes.
Stand-By Crew	A ground of trained firefighters stationed at a dispatch point for rapid deployment.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)	Written incident practices adopted by an agency.
Standardisation	Means having a common standard for fire equipment, personnel and training for rural fire prevention and suppression.
Static Water Supply	A supply of water in a reservoir or pond.
Statutory Fire Authority	Means anybody, authority or other person, whether or not a Rural Fire Authority having statutory power and responsibilities in respect of fires in the open air.
Strategy	A statement detailing how an objective is to be achieved.
Strip Burning	Setting fire to a narrow strip of fuel adjacent to a fire-line and then burning successively wider adjacent strips as the preceding strip burns out.
Structure Fire	A fire burning part, or all of any building, shelter, or other construction.
Stubble	Means standing crop residue after grain has been harvested by a header.
Supplies	Minor items of equipment and all expendable items assigned to fire.
Support Agency	An organisation contributing services or resources directly to a lead agency.
Suppress a Fire	Extinguish a fire or confine the area it burns within fixed boundaries.
Suppressant	An agent used to extinguish the flaming and smouldering or glowing stages of combustion by direct application to burning fuels.
Suppression	See Fire Suppression
Suppression Crew	A unit of firefighters assembled and organised for conducting fire suppression.  Synonyms - Fire Crew.
Surface Fire	A fire which travels just above ground surface in grass, low shrub, leaves and litter.
Surface Fuel	The loose surface litter on the forest floor, normally consisting of fallen leaves or needles, twigs, bark, cones and small branches that have not yet decayed sufficiently to lose their identity. Also grasses, shrubs and tree reproduction less than one metre in height, heavier branch-wood, down logs, stumps, seedlings and forbs (simple plant structures) interspersed with or partially replacing the litter.
Synoptic Chart  (Weather Map)	Any map on which weather data and analyses are presented depicting the state of meteorological conditions over a large area at the earth’s surface and at various levels in the upper atmosphere, at a particular time.

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T

Tactics	Specific actions or tasks to implement incident strategies.
Task	A job given to a team or individual.
Technical Specialist	An adviser with special skills which are needed to support incident operations.
Temperature (Dry Bulb)	The ambient air temperature recorded by an exposed thermometer.
Temperature (Wet Bulb)	Wet bulb temperature is measured by placing a moist, single-layer, muslin sleeve over the bulb of a dry bulb thermometer. The difference between dry and wet bulb readings is used to determine relative humidity and dewpoint values.
Territorial Area	Has the same meaning as defined in the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977.
Test Fire	A controlled fire ignited to evaluate fire behaviour.
Thermal Imagery	The display or printout from an infrared scanner.
Threat	Is the comparative level of the combined effects of risk, hazard and values.
Thunderstorm	A localised storm, invariably produced by a cumulonimbus cloud (CB), accompanied by lightning and thunder.  Synonym - Electrical Storm.
Timelag (TL)	The drying time, under stated conditions of dry-bulb temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and time of the year, required for dead fuels to lose about two-thirds (2/3) of the difference between their initial moisture content and their equilibrium moisture content.  The TL therefore represents the rate of moisture change in a fuel.
Topography	Means the land form or surface configuration of a region.
Transporter	Means a heavy trailer with low loading capacity for transporting bulldozers and other heavy earth moving equipment over long distances.
Travel Time	The time taken between the departure of a crew, and arrival at the scene of a fire or incident. See also Response Time.
Tussock	Means native grasslands indigenous to New Zealand but found predominately in the South Island high country.

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U

Under Storey	The lowest stratum of a multi-storeyed forest.
Unstable Atmosphere	See Atmospheric Stability.
Urban/Rural Interface	The line, area, or zone where structures and other human development adjoin or overlaps with undeveloped bush-land.

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V