Glossary Of Firefighting Terms

Note: This list does not include firefighting equipment, i.e., tools and apparatus used by firefighters. Please refer to Glossary of firefighting equipment for such terms.

A

• Above-ground storage tank: Storage tank that is not buried. Compare Underground storage tank. Unburied tanks are more prone to physical damage, and leaks are released to the air or ground, rather than the soil surrounding a buried tank.
• Accellerant: flammable fuel (often liquid) used by some arsonists to increase size or intensity of fire. May also be accidentally introduced when HAZMAT becomes involved in fire.
• Alarm: (1) system for detecting and reporting unusual conditions, such as smoke, fire, flood, loss of air, HAZMAT release, etc; (2) centralized dispatch center for interpreting alarms and dispatching resources. See fire alarm panel.
• Ammonium nitrate: component of ANFO; contents of two ships that exploded in Texas City Disaster, killing over 500 people, including all 28 volunteer firefighters at the scene.
• ANFO: Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil combination making a high explosive.
• Arson: the crime of maliciously setting fire to property of another, especially a dwelling. Punishable in various degrees, depending upon the circumstances. Occasionally occurs as a psychopathic act of a mentally ill firefighter.
• Authority Having Jurisdiction (or AHJ): organization or agency with legal authority over a given type of incident (e.g, fire, EMS, SAR, arson, HAZMAT); may change or overlap as incident changes, as where fire becomes arson investigation once danger is over, or Motor Vehicle Accident becomes police business after vehicle extrication, fire, and HAZMAT issues are complete.
• Autoextended fire: structure fire that has gone out a window or other opening on one floor and ignited materials above, on another floor or other space (attic, cockloft).
• Available flow: total amount of water that can be put on a fire, depending upon water supply, pump size, hoses, and distance to the fire. IC must assess available flow to determine whether additional apparatus or streams are required. See Fire flow requirement.

B

• Backdraft:
• Backflow preventer:
• Bank down:
• Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE)

C

• Chimney fire:
• Cockloft: structural space above ceiling and below rafters
• Collapse zone: a relatively poor place to park the engine near a burning structure.
• Combustion:
• Company: two or more firefighers arranged as a team.
• Confined space:
• Conflagration:
• Cross lay:

D

• Dalmatian: "Firehouse dog."
• Dead lay:
• Deflagration:
• Direct attack:
• Discharge flow:
• Dispatch:
• Draft: The process of pumping water from a source below the pump.
• Drills: training during which an emergency is simulated and the trainees go through the steps of responding as if it were a real emergency.

E

• Electrical fire:
• EMS: Emergency medical service.
• Engine house: Early form of firehouse when pumper was the only dedicated fire apparatus.
• Engine pressure:
• Enhanced 9-1-1:
• Evacuation:
• Evolution: Uniform sequence of practiced steps by squad carrying out common tasks such as placement of ladders or stowing hoses in hose bed in particular patterns; intended to result in predictability during emergencies.
• Exothermic reaction:
• Exposure: Property near fire that may become involved by transfer of heat or burning material from main fire. May range from 40 feet to several miles, depending on size and type of fire.
• Extrication: removal of a trapped victim such as a vehicle extrication, confined space rescue, or trench rescue; sometimes using hydraulic spreader, Jaws of Life, or other technical equipment.

F

• FAST (or F.A.S.T.): Firefighter Assist and Search Team (also called Rapid Entry Team or Rapid Intervention Team) — firefighters assigned to stand by for rescue of others inside a structure; an implementation to support the Two in, two out rule; may have specialized training, experience and tools.
• Fire code ( Fire safety code): regulations for fire prevention and safety involving flammables, explosives and other dangerous operations and occupancies.
• Fire engineering:
• Fire escape:
• Firefighter: People who respond to fire alarms and other emergencies for fire suppression, rescue, and related duties. Formerly called "firemen", but modern term includes women as well.
• Firefighter Assist and Search Team: See FAST.
• Fire flow:
• Fireground: The operational area at the scene of a fire; area in which incident commander is in control. Also used as name of radio frequency to be used by units operating in the fireground, as in Responding units switch to fireground.
• Fire hazard:
• Firehouse: Another term for Fire station. Where fire apparatus is stored and where full-time firefighters work.
• Fire hydraulics:
• Fire inspector: A person responsible for issuing permits and enforcing the fire code, including any necessary premises inspection, as before allowing (or during) a large indoor gathering.
• Fire load (Btu/sq ft):
• Fire point: temperature at which materials give off flammable gases that will sustain fire, typically higher than flash point. Temperature at flashover.
• Fire prevention: Fire safety
• Fire-resistant:
• Fire tetrahedron:
• Fire triangle:
• Fire warden:
• Fire watch:
• Fit test:
• Flammable range, limits:
• Flash point: Lowest temperature at which a material will emit vapor combustible in air mixture. Lower than fire point of same material.
• Flashover: simultaneous ignition of combustible materials in a closed space, as when materials simultaneously reach their fire point.
• Forcible entry: gaining entry to an area using force to disable or bypass security devices, typically using force tools, sometimes using tools specialized for entry (e.g., Halligan, K-tool).
• Forward lay:
• Freelancing: dangerous situation at an incident where an individual carries out tasks alone or without being assigned; violation of personnel accountability procedures.
• Friction loss: Reduction of flow in a firehose caused by friction between the water and the lining of the hose. Depends primarily upon diameter, type and length of hose, and amount of water (GPM) flowing through.
• Frontage:
• Fully involved: Term of size-up meaning fire, heat, smoke in a structure are so widespread that internal access must wait until fire streams can be applied.

G

• GPM method ("gallons per minute"):
• Grease fire:A fire involving any manner of cooking oil or other cooking materials.

H

• Hazard: a source of danger of personal injury or property damage; fire hazard refers to conditions that may result in fire or explosion, or may increase spread of an accidental fire, or prevent escape from fire. Under worker safety and health regulations, employers have a general duty to provide a workplace free of hazards. See also fire prevention, and HAZMAT.
• HAZMAT: Hazardous materials, including solids, liquids, or gasses that may cause injury, death, or damage if released or triggered.
• Head pressure:
• Hot zone: contaminated area of HAZMAT incident that must be isolated; requires suitable protective equipment to enter and decontamination upon exit; minimum hot zone distance from unknown material with unknown release is 330 feet (US Dept of Transportation North American Emergency Response Guidebook); surrounded by "warm zone" where decontamination takes place.

I

• IDLH: Any situation deemed Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health. More narrowly defined by OSHA. See main IDLH article. An area of maximum danger to firefighters.
• Initial attack: First point of attack on a fire where hose lines or fuel separation are used to prevent further extension of the fire.
• Interface zone (also wildland/structural interface or urban/wildland interface): The zone where wildfires threaten structures or structural fires threaten wildlands, such as in residential areas adjacent to forests. This requires both wildland firefighting and structural firefighting in the same location, which involve very different tactics and equipment.

J

• Jack-knifing: jargon for position of articulated aerial ladder such that tractor is at an angle to the trailer; provides improved stability when ladder is hoisted, rotated and extended.

L

• Ladder truck: A truck outfitted for fire which is operated by a ladder company, and in most cases is not outfitted to pump water. Not to be confused with engine.
• Ladder company: A group of fire fighters, officers and engineers that staff a ladder truck.
• Life safety code: NFPA publication.
• Line loss: See friction loss.
• Live line:
• Loaded stream:

M

• Mass casualty: Any incident that produces a large number of injured persons requiring emergency medical treatment and transportation to a medical facility. The exact number of patients that makes an incident "mass casualty" is defined by departmental procedures and may vary from area to area.
• Master box:
• Master stream:
• Means of egress:
• Muliple alarms: A request by an incident commander for additional personnel and apparatus. Each department will vary on the number of apparatus and personnel on each additional alarm.
• Mutual aid:

N

• NFPA: The National Fire Protection Association, which sets a number of standards for *firefighting, equipment, and fire protection in the United States.
• NIOSH:
• Nozzle flow:
• Nozzle pressure:
• Nozzle reach:
• Nozzle reaction:

O

• On-call: Personnel who can be summoned (and paid) when necessary to respond to an incident; a type of "volunteer" fire department.
• Occupancy class:
• Occupant use hose: Light-weight firehose coupled to standpipe for emergency use by building occupants prior to arrival of firefighters. Often accessible by breaking glass to unlock secure enclosure.
• Offensive attack:
• Overhauling: Late stage in fire-suppression process during which the burned area is carefully examined for remaining sources of heat that may re-kindle the fire. Often coincides with salvage operations to prevent further loss to structure or its contents.
• Oxidizer:

P

• Personal alert safety system: See PASS device
• Personnel accountability report: End-result of personnel accountability system. Best report is all hands, AOK worst is squad missing.
• Positive pressure:
• Pre-arrival instructions:
• Pre-fire, pre-incident planning:
• "Probie:" (also rookie) new firefighter on employment probation (a period of time during which his or her skills are improved, honed, tested, and evaluated).
• Public alarm:
• Pump operator, technician:
• Pumper company: Squad or company that mans a fire engine (pumper) and carries out duties involving get water to the fire.
• Pyrolysis:

R

• Radiant extension: fire that has transferred ignition heat to adjacent materials across open space. One reason some city fire codes prohibit windows facing each other in adjacent warehouses.
• Rapid entry team: See FAST.
• Rapid intervention team: See FAST.
• Rehab, Rehabilitation sector:
• Rescue:
• Rescue company:
• Residential sprinkler system:
• Residual pressure:
• Reverse lay:
• Run card system:

S

• SAR: See Search and rescue.
• Structural fire: Fire involving houses, buildings, or other structures. Urban fire departments are primarily geared toward structural firefighting. The terms structural fire and structural firefighting are often used to distinguish them from wildland fire.
• Salvage, salvage cover:
• Scuttle hatch:
• Search and rescue (or SAR):
• Secondary containment:
• Sector:
• Shoulder load:
• Size-up:
• Smoke explosion:
• Solid stream: fire stream from round orifice of nozzle. Compare straight stream.
• Staging: sector of incident command where responding resources arrive for assignment to another sector. Often an essential element in personnel accountability program.
• Standard operating procedure, guideline: Rules for the operation of a fire department, such as how to respond to various types of emergencies, training requirements, use of protective equipment, radio procedures.
• Static pressure:
• Straight stream: Round, hollow stream formed as water passes a round baffle through a round orifice (e.g., on an adjustable nozzle.) Compare solid stream.
• Stretch: command to lay out firehose.

T

• Truck company - apparatus that carries ladders, forcible entry tools, possibly extrication tools and salvage covers; firefighters who typically carry out tasks with such tools, including roof ventilation.
• Two-in, two-out (or "two in/two out": Refers to the standard safety tactic of having one team of two firefighters enter a hazardous zone (IDLH), while at least two others stand by outside in case the first two need rescue — thus requiring a minimum of six firefighters on scene prior to starting interior attack.
• Type I, II, III, IV, V Building - U.S. classification system for fire resistance of building construction types, including definitions for "resistive" Type I, "non-combustible" Type II, "ordinary" Type III, heavy timber Type IV, and "frame construction" Type V (i.e., made entirely of wood).

U

• Underground storage tank:
• Universal precautions:

V

• Vapor suppression:
• Ventilation:
• Venturi principle:
• Vertical ventilation:
• Voids (building):
• Vollie: A volunteer firefighter.
• Volunteer fire department: A group of part-time firefighters who may be unpaid or paid when on-call, during incidents, or drills.

W

• Water columning:
• Water hammer:
• Wildfire or Wildland fire: Fire in forests, grasslands, prairies, or other natural areas, not involving structure fires (although wildland fires may threaten structures or vice versa - see interface zone.) For a complete list of terms used in wildland fire, see Glossary of wildland fire terms.

Z

• Zone: Section of structure indicated on fire alarm panel where sensor was activated.

See also

• Glossary of wildland fire terms
• Glossary of firefighting equipment

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