Glossary
It is important to define the terms that in use to ensure effective communication. This is particularly important, and difficult, when dealing with wildland fire, because terminology can differ so broadly from agency to agency.
This glossary only pertains to the terms used on this website. Because the materials in the resources section are produced by many different agencies and organizations, the definitions used may not be exactly replicated, though this glossary may still be an effective reference.
Where possible the sources for the glossary definitions and terms are cited. This glossary adopted most of the definitions used in the 2010 Strategic Fire Plan for California developed by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Communities at Risk – Originally defined by the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 as, “Wildland Urban Interface Communities within the vicinity of federal lands that are at high risk from wildfire. Cal Fire expanded on this definition for California including all communities (regardless of distance from federal lands) for which a significant threat to human life or property exists as a result of a wildland fire event. California uses the following three factors to determine at-risk communities: 1) high fuel hazard 2) probability of a fire and 3) proximity of intermingled wildland fuels and urban environments that are in the vicinity of fire threats. Source (PDF)
Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) – A community based collaborative plan developed by local stakeholders that identifies and prioritizes ares for hazardous fuel reduction treatments to protect communities and infrastructure from wildfire. The Plans are agreed to by stakeholders, applicable local government, local fire departments, State forestry, and Federal land management agencies. Source (PDF)
Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements – Agreements established between federal, state, tribal and local government entities to provide long term fire and emergency service protection. Source (PDF)
Defensible Space –The area within the perimeter of a parcel, development, neighborhood or community where basic wildland fire protection practices and measures are implemented, providing the key point of defense from an approaching wildfire or defense against encroaching wildfires or escaping structure fires. Source
Fire Hazard – A fuel complex, defined by volume, type condition, arrangement, and location, that determines the degree of ease of ignition and of resistance to control. Source
Fire Prevention – Activities such as public education, community outreach, building code enforcement, engineering (construction standards), and reduction of fuel hazards that is intended to reduce the incidence of unwanted human-caused wildfires and the risks they pose to life, property or resources. Source
Fire Resilient – The ability of a vegetation type, ecosystem, or community to respond positively to or recover quickly from the effects of a wildfire burning within, across or adjacent to them. Source (PDF)
Fire Risk –The chance of fire starting, as determined by the presence and activity of causative agents; a causative agent or a number related to the potential number of firebrands (embers) to which a given area will be exposed during the day. Source
Fire Safe Building Standards – Various laws and codes that apply accepted fire safety practices (as determined by scientific research panels and associations, with replicated results) into construction of assets. Examples of laws and codes include; California Fire Code Chapter 49, California Building Code Chapter 7A, Public Resource Code Section 4290 and Fire Safe Regulations, Section 1270. Source (PDF)
Fire Safe Councils (FSC) – A group of concerned citizens organized to educate groups on fire safe programs, projects and planning. The Councils work closely with the local fire agencies to develop and implement priorities. Source
Fireshed – A contiguous area displaying similar fire history and problem fire characteristics (e.g. intensity, resistance to control) and requiring similar suppression response strategies. Source (PDF)
Fire Suppression Resources – State, federal, tribal, local and private, equipment and resources, gathered to extinguish and mitigate wildland fires. Source (PDF)
FIREWISE – A national program designed to reach beyond the fire service by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, and others in the effort to protect people, property, and natural resources from the risk of wildland fire before a fire starts. The Firewise program is community driven. Source (PDF)
Fire Hazard Severity Zones – Areas of significant fire hazards based on fuels, terrain, weather, and other relevant factors. These zones, then define the application of various mitigation strategies to reduce risk associated with wildland fires. Source (PDF)
Forest and Rangeland Health – An expression of the prevalent ecological conditions on a landscape as compared to benchmark conditions yielding maximum benefit to multiple resource values – ecological, economic, and social/political. Source (PDF)
Fuel Treatment – The manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of igniting and to reduce fire intensity (e.g., lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning). Source (PDF)
Fuels Reduction Projects – The modification of vegetation in order to reduce potential fire threat. These projects often result in improved wildlife habitat capability, timber growth, and/or forage production. Source (PDF)
GIS – Geographic Information Systems is a configuration of computer hardware and software that stores, displays, and analyzes geographic data spatially or through attribute features. Source (PDF)
Hand Crews – A number of individuals organized, trained and supervised principally for fire suppression or fuel reduction projects. Source (PDF)
Ignition Density – The number of fire ignitions that occur in a specific unit of area, over a specified period of time; often used as a measure of initial attack workload. Source (PDF)
Initial Attack – A planned response to a wildfire given the wildfire’s potential fire behavior. The objective of initial attack is to stop the fire and put it out in a manner consistent with firefighter and public safety and values to be protected. Source
Land Use Planning – A comprehensive assessment leading to a set of decisions that guide use of land within an identified area. Source (PDF)
Mutual Aid – An agreement in which two or more parties agree to furnish resources and facilities and to render services to each and every other party of the agreement to prevent and combat any type of disaster or emergency. Source (PDF)
Native Species Seed Bank – A storage area for seed that is collected from a species which is a part of the original fauna or flora of the area in question. Prescribed Fire – A planned fire ignition designed to meet specific management objectives. Source (PDF)
Prescribed Fire – Any fire ignited by management actions to meet specific objectives. A written, approved prescribed fire plan must exist, and NEPA requirements (where applicable) must be met, prior to ignition. Source
Prescription – Measurable criteria that define conditions under which a prescribed fire may be ignited, guide selection of appropriate management responses, and indicate other required actions. Source
Reforestation – The establishment of forests on land that had recent (less than 10 years) tree cover. Source
Salvage – the harvesting of dead, dying and damaged trees to recover their economic values that would otherwise be lost to deterioration. Source (PDF)
Situational Awareness – The application of the human senses to current and predicted weather, fire or other emergency conditions to plan and execute actions that provide for the safety of all personnel and equipment engaged in emergency; includes development of alternative strategies of fire suppression and net effect of each. Source (PDF)
Total Force – Bringing to bear the application of the totality of the Cal Fire employee team who provide all functional service aspects of the department that enable us to effectively mitigate emergencies and protect resources in areas protected by Cal Fire. Source (PDF)
Unit Fire Plan – Plans developed by individual CAL FIRE Units to address wildfire protection areas, initial attack success, assets and infrastructure at risk, pre-fire management strategies, and accountability within their geographical boundaries. Source (PDF)
Values and Assets at Risk – Accepted principals or standards, and any constructed or landscape attribute that has value and contributes to community or individual well-being and quality of life. Examples include property, structures, physical improvements, natural and cultural resources, community infrastructure, commercial standing timber, ecosystem health and production of water. Source (PDF)
Wildfire – An unplanned, unwanted wildland fire including unauthorized human-caused fires, escaped wildland fire use events, escaped prescribed fire projects, and all other wildland fires where the objective is to put the fire out. Source
Wildland – An area in which development is essentially non-existent, except for roads, railroads, powerlines, and similar transportation facilities. Structures, if any, are widely scattered. Source
Wildland Fire – Any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Three distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire, wildland fire use, and prescribed fire. Source
Wildland Fire Use – The application of the appropriate management response to naturally-ignited wildland fires to accomplish specific resource management objectives in pre-defined designated areas outlined in Fire Management Plans. Operational management is described in the Wildland Fire Implementation Plan (WFIP). Source
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) –The line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels. Source
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