Glossary

The fire world runs on shorthand. Here is what the terms mean, in plain language, and what each one tells you if you supply base camp equipment, catering, tenders, dozers, or hauling.

CIMT A Complex Incident Management Team: the highest-tier organized command the fire system assigns to a wildfire.

IMT types Incident management teams come in tiers: Type 3 handles extended local incidents; the Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) tier above it handles the big ones.

Type 3 IC A Type 3 Incident Commander: a qualified IC running a fire that has outgrown initial attack, one step before a full Type 3 team.

Preparedness Level The national fire system’s 1-to-5 scale for how committed the country’s firefighting resources are. PL 5 is the top.

The NIFC situation report The Incident Management Situation Report: the official national daily record of large-fire activity, published from NIFC each morning during fire season.

The national team roster The national accounting of Complex Incident Management Teams: which are committed, which are available, and where each one is.

GACC A Geographic Area Coordination Center: one of the regional hubs that coordinate fire resources across the country.

Demobilization The organized release of a fire’s people and equipment as the incident winds down.

VIPR The federal procurement system for pre-season fire equipment agreements: how private tenders, dozers, engines, and support equipment get hired onto fires.

ICS-209 The standard incident status summary: the form significant fires file to report size, personnel, threat, and who is in command.

Initial attack The first response to a new fire, aiming to contain it small and fast. Extended attack is everything after that fails.

Red flag warning A National Weather Service warning that conditions are ripe for fire: wind, low humidity, dry fuels, and often lightning.

Base camp The small town a large fire builds to house its workforce: sleeping areas, catering, showers, lighting, sanitation, and supply.

Cal Fire vs federal Two systems on the same landscape: Cal Fire manages its protection area end to end; federal agencies manage theirs through the interagency team ladder.

Tenders & dozers The workhorse private equipment of the fire line: tenders haul and stage water; dozers cut line ahead of the fire.

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