Under the Weather
Fires are more likely to burn intensely when this atmospheric moisture measurement drops below 20%.
What is relative humidity?
What two components of LCES must be continually updated as a crew progresses along the fireline?
What are escape routes and safety zones?
Engines and heavy equipment often have one of these vehicles to provide additional support and crew transport.
What is a chase rig/truck?
This component of the fire triangle is removed when digging and cutting fireline.
What is fuels?
This rookie mistake with the portapotties in camp will infuriate many crews, especially the ones getting off night shift.
What is slamming the door?
These gusty, erratic winds are produced around the edges of a thunderstorm and can cause intense, unpredictable fire behavior.
What are outflow winds/gusts or downbursts?
These are the pre-determined conditions of fire behavior or fire weather that a lookout will notify the crew when reached.
What are trigger points?
If you're standing directly under the smoketrail from one of these units, you are very likely going to get hit by a tanker drop soon if you don't move.
What is a lead plane?
Of the two components in drip mix, this component always has a higher ratio than the other component.
This tool is named after a famous US Forest Service ranger who helped his crew survive the Great Fires of 1910.
What is a pulaski?
Critical fire weather conditions of high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds may trigger this type of warning.
What is a Red Flag Warning?
This kind of radio channel uses duplex frequencies and may also be encoded with a code guard / tone guard.
What are command or repeater channels?
This unit known as "Air Attack" performs aerial reconnaissance for ground units, coordinates the airspace for all aircraft above the incident, and communicates directly with the IC/Ops
Who is the Air Tactical Group Supervisor?
This phrase is used to remind firefighters to look for potential spot fires across a secured fireline, especially when holding after a firing operation.
What is "eyes on the green"?
This phrase is used to describe a significant safety advantage of going direct, which is not possible with indirect attack.
At night, inverted temperature changes can trap smoke and reduce fire behavior in lower elevations until this atmospheric shift occurs, usually mid-morning.
What is the inversion break?
For a safety zone to be considered safe, it should be large enough to allow for this—the minimum distance needed between you and the advancing fire.
What is 4 times the flame height?
This person will identify themselves on the radio as "actual" immediately after the name of their crew.
Who is the superintendent, captain, or crew boss?
This firing technique consumes fuel in the path of a wildfire, slows the fire's rate of spread, and may change the direction or force of the fire's convective column.
What is backfiring?
This famous smokejumper survived by starting his own escape fire after being entrapped during the Mann Gulch Fire.
Who is Wag Dodge?
Often likened to "a lid on a pot," this metric describes vertical air movement, with greater upwards movement indicating increased fire behavior.
What is atmospheric stability?
This phenomena on large fires can generate its own weather and lightning, significantly increasing fire intensity, causing sudden wind shifts, and making escape routes and safety zones less reliable.
What is a pyrocumulonimbus cloud?
This federal agency hosts seven Interagency Hotshot Crews that have white crew buggies with blue stripes.
What is the BIA?
This restriction on the airspace above a wildfire, issued by the FAA through a NOTAM, is established to protect wildland fire personnel and aviation operations.
What is a Temporary Flight Restriction?
This facetious phrase is used to describe a slopover outside of the intended burn plan on a prescribed fire.
What are bonus acres?