Glossary

Term Definition
14 Tanker A tanker with 1,000 litre water carrying capacity and four-wheel drive
22 Tanker A tanker with 2,000 litre water carrying capacity and two-wheel drive
24 Tanker A tanker with 2,000 litre water carrying capacity and four-wheel drive
24P Tanker A tanker with 2,000 litre water carrying capacity and four-wheel drive. Pump capability 2,000 litres per minute and can carry a specialist resource e.g. RCR or Hazmat
34 Tanker A tanker with 3,000 litre water carrying capacity and four-wheel drive
34P Tanker A tanker with 3,000 litre water carrying capacity and four-wheel drive. Pump capability 3,000 litres per minute and can carry a specialist resource e.g. RCR or Hazmat
ADF Australian Defence Force
Air Attack The direct use of aircraft in the suppression of bushfire
Backburn A fire started intentionally along the inner edge of a fire-line to consume the fuel in the path of a bushfire
BCA Building Code of Australia
Blacking Out The process of extinguishing or removing burning material along or near the fire control line, felling stages, trenching logs to prevent rolling and the like, to make the fire safe.
BMAP Bushfire Management Area Plan - list and risk rates assets under threat
BOM Bureau of Meteorology
Bulk Water Carrier Large tanker used for replenishing a fire fighting tanker
Bushfire An unplanned fire. A generic term that includes grass fires, forest fires and scrub fires.
Bushfire Advice Message (BAM) A Bushfire Advice Message will be issued when bushfires pose a threat to property or public safety, or when:
  • a bushfire has been reported and we are attending but no further information is available (Incident notification).
  • a bushfire is producing smoke in an area that may cause concern to the public
  • there is a need to advise of a specific event.
Bushfire Emergency Warning Message (EWM) Bushfire Emergency Warning Messages will be issued for wide area community affect when:
  • an uncontrolled bushfire is burning under Extreme to Catastrophic Fire Weather conditions; and
  • the risk of loss of life or threat to properties is almost certain or has occurred; or
  • where special circumstances exist, for example when a life or house has been lost.
Bushfire Watch and Act Message (WAM) A Bushfire Watch and Act Message is regularly issued for bushfires that pose a localised threat to property or public safety where:
  • a bushfire is threatening or is a potential threat to public safety in the immediate area of a fire
  • a bushfire is producing smoke in an area that may cause concern to the public on a day of elevated fire danger
  • there is a need to advise of a specific event.
Bushfire Advice Message - Reduced Threat We will issue a Reduced Threat Message when the threat to the community has reduced. All bushfire incidents that have had an Advice, Watch and Act or Emergency Warning Message issued will be finalised with an Advice – Reduced Threat message. See Bushfire Advice Message (BAM), Bushfire Watch and Act Message (WAM), and Bushfire Emergency Warning Message (EWM).
CABA Compressed Air Breathing Apparatus
CAFS Compressed Air Foam System
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CFA Country Fire Authority (Victoria)
CFS SA Country Fire Service
CFS SCC Country Fire Service State Command Centre
CFSVA Country Fire Service Volunteers Association
Change of Quarters Term used to describe when a Brigade is placed in active standby in another Brigade Station.
Command The direction of members and resources of an agency in performance of the agency's role and tasks. Authority to command is established by legislation or by agreement with an agency. Command relates to agencies and operates vertically within an agency.
Contained Incident A fire is contained when its spread has been halted, but it may still be burning freely within the perimeter or fire control lines. Other incidents are contained when the spread or growth of the incident has been halted.
Control The overall direction of response activities in an emergency situation. Authority for control is established in legislation or in an emergency response plan, and carries with it the responsibility for tasking and coordinating other agencies in accordance with the needs of the situation. Control relates to situations and operates horizontally across agencies.
Controlled Incident The time, which the complete perimeter of a fire is secured, and no breakaways are expected. For other incidents, the time at which the incident is secure and there is no possibility of extension of growth of the incident.
COP Common Operating Picture (Current info re fire)
Crane Erikson Skycrane Helicopter
Crew The basic unit of firefighters in a team. It normally consists of four to eight personnel and shall be a minimum of four.
CWA Country Women's Association
Decontamination Zone A zone established for decontamination operations and is set up in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Training Manual.
DEW Department for Environment and Water
DIC Deputy Incident Controller. Second in charge to the person responsible for the management of an incident's operations.
EEP Eastern Eyre Peninsula Fire Ban District
EMA Emergency Management Australia
EPA Environmental Protection Authority
Escape Route A pre-planned route away from danger area at a fire.
FBI Fire Behaviour Index - numerical scale that can be used consistently across Australia, allowing users to make decisions that require finer detail than the four Fire Danger Rating categories allow. The FBI runs from 0 to 100 and beyond, with increasingly high values indicating increasingly dangerous fire behaviour and therefore fire danger risk.
FDR Fire Danger Rating - describe the potential level of danger should a bushfire start. Ratings are calculated using a combination of weather forecasting and information about vegetation that could fuel a fire.
FDS Fire Danger Season
FFU Farm Fire Unit
Fire Bombing A technique of suppressing a bushfire by dropping water, foam or retardants on it from an aircraft.
Fireground The area in the vicinity of a fire suppression operations, and the area immediately threatened by the fire. It includes burning and burnt areas; constructed and proposed fire lines; the area where firefighters, vehicles, machinery and equipment are located when deployed; roads and access points under traffic management control; tracks and facilities in the area surrounding the actual fire; and may extend to adjoining are a directly threatened by the fire.
FMC Fuel Moisture Content - The water content of a fuel particle expressed as a percent of the oven dry weight of the fuel particle (%ODW)
FROS Forward Rate of Spread (how fast the fire is travelling, sometimes just called Rate of Spread or ROS)
Fuel Any material such as grass, leaf litter and live vegetation, which can be ignited and sustains a fire. Fuel is usually measured in tonnes per hectare.
Going Incident An incident that is expanding or continuing to need an active or escalating response.
GOMP Group Operational Management Plan, helps brigades and groups plan for incident management in their area.
Group A CFS Group is all brigades in the same area, who are coordinated by an elected Group Officer.
GRN Government Radio Network
Hazard Area Hot Zone or initial isolation zone
HAZMAT Hazardous Materials
Heavy Aircraft All aircraft that carries greater than 60 passengers
Hot Zone The area immediately surrounding a hazardous materials incident, which extends far enough to prevent adverse effects from hazardous materials releases to personnel outside the zone.
IAP Incident Action Plan
IC Incident Controller - The individual responsible for the management of an incidents operations.
ICC Incident Control Centre
Incident An event, accidentally or deliberately caused, which requires a response from one or more of the statutory emergency response agencies.
Incident Update An Incident Update contains supplementary information about an incident. This may or may not be associated with a warning message.
ISV Incident Support Vehicle
LACES lookout, awareness, communications, escape routes, safety zones (used by firefighters on the fireground)
LEP Lower Eyre Peninsula Fire Ban District
Level 1 Incident Small. Simple to manage. Small number of resources. Minimal threat or affect on the general community. Managed by 1 to 3 personnel.
Level 2 Incident More complex and larger scale incident than Level 1 incident.
Level 3 Incident Large. Complex. Divided into sectors and divisions. There may be multiple shifts and numerous other agencies involved. Significant threat or affect on the community.
Light Aircraft All aircraft, fixed or rotary wing, single or twin engine that carries less than 60 passengers.
Logistics (or Logs) The provision of facilities, services and materials required to help in the combat of the incident.
LSE Lower South East Fire Ban District
MFS Metropolitan Fire Service
ML Murray Lands Fire Ban District
MLR Mount Lofty Ranges Fire Ban District
MN Mid North Fire Ban District
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
NEP North East Pastoral Fire Ban District
NWP North West Pastoral Fire Ban District
Operations (or Ops) This refers to processes and direction given to CFS firefighters on the fireground or at an incident.
PAWS Portable Automatic Weather Station
PPC Personal Protective Clothing
PPE Personal Protective Equipment
POI Point of Ignition
Prescribed Burn 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.
Primary Response Area The designated response area for a brigade.
Priority 1 To respond to emergency incident, which requires an urgent response, complying with Rule 306 of the Australian Road Rules and using flashing lights and sirens.
Priority 2 For non-urgent travel, including to an emergency incident where non-urgent attendance is required complying with the Australian Road Rule, siren and flashing lights are not to be used.
QRV Quick Response Vehicle - A Quick Response Vehicle (QRV), carries about 500 litres of water, is a four-wheel drive capable vehicle and can be in a single or dual cab arrangement. A Quick Response Vehicle can also be utilised as a command vehicle, or help in logistics work.
RAAF Royal Australian Air Force
Rate of Spread The progress of a fire expressed as a unit of time over a distance.
RCC Regional Command Centre
RCR Road Crash Rescue
RDC Regional Duty Commander
RDO Regional Duty Officer
Region CFS separates its Brigades, Groups, operations and administration into six regions.
RFS Rural Fire Service (NSW)
RH Relative Humidity - 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.
ROMP Regional Operational Management Plan
RL Riverland Fire Ban District
SAAS SA Ambulance Service
SACFS or CFS South Australian Country Fire Service
Safe Incident The stage if fire suppression, prescribed burning or incident response when it is considered that no further suppression or control action or patrols are necessary.
SAFECOM South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission
SAMFS or MFS South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service
SAPOL South Australian Police
SDC CFS State Duty Commander is the person on duty, who coordinates efforts throughout the State
SEAT Single Engine Air Tanker
SES South Australian State Emergency Service
SEWS Standard Emergency Warning Signal precedes emergency warning messages
SDI Soil Dryness Index
SMEACS - Q Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration, Communications, Safety, Questions
SMD Skills Maintenance Drill
SOAR Size up, Options, Actions and Review
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
Stop Call A responding appliance is not required and is to return to station Priority 2.
Strike Team A set number of resources of the same type that have an established minimum number of personnel. Strike Teams always have a leader in a separate vehicle and a common communications system. They are made up of five resources of the same type e.g. earth moving machinery, crews and vehicles.
Structure Fire A fire burning part, or all of any building, shelter, or other construction.
Support Agency An Agency, Service, Organisation or Authority providing assistance to the combatant authority.
Tactic The tasking of personnel and resources to apply incident strategies. Incident control tactics are accomplished in accordance with appropriate agency procedures and safety directives. Tactics are normally determined at Division/Sector level with corresponding allocation of resources and personnel.
TFB Total Fire Ban - A ban on lighting and maintaining of a fire in the open, and can be invoked at any time during the year. When invoked, the Total Fire Ban is imposed for a period of 24 hours, from midnight to midnight, but may also be imposed for part of a day or days. (Fire and Emergency Services Regulations)
TIC Thermal Imaging Camera - used to detect hot areas which cannot necessarily be seen, i.e. underground, in structures etc.
Turnout Respond a brigade or appliance to an incident
Urban Pumper Appliance with large volume pump (i.e. 3,000+litres/minute @ 700 kpa) and stowage principally used for urban firefighting
USAR Urban Search and Rescue
USE Upper South East Fire Ban District
WC West Coast Fire Ban District