Terminology

California & Hawaii Hotlist Questions and Discussion
64

this was a hand typed memo I got when I started in the early 80s. retyped it in a word doc to keep on the computer.

Burned area is expressed throughout the Fire Service in “Acres” as a measure of fire size. Acres unfortunately turns out to be a very flexible and highly individualized unit of measure, thereby lending itself well to all kinds of situations. This job aid is intended to make possible the truer interpretation of fire size and conversion of the various versions of “the acre”.

As a starting point, recall that what we shall call a “standard acre” is defined as 43,560 square feet, regardless of the shape. Alternatively, a standard acre equals 10 square chains, 0.4047 hectares, 6,272,640 square inches or 0.0015625 square miles. Keep in mind the following conversions are not entirely fixed and depend on whether the estimator is from the state, federal, local government or contract pilot.

10 flaming acres = 3 extinguished standard acres (having shrunk as water was applied)

4 night acres = 1 daylight standard acre

40 flaming night acres = 3 extinguished daylight standard acres

0-10,000 mapped acres = 0-10,000 guessed acres = unknown standard acres. (Depending on who made 	the map, and which drainage they decided to put the fire in)

20 seen-from-afar acres = 1-7 standard acres depending on the impressiveness of the smoke column

1 air attack acre = 5 standard acres

A minor digression on estimates from aloft. It is common knowledge that a space warp exists between the ground and 2,500 feet altitude wherein flames, brush, rivers, and other natural features all appear in miniature as seen from the air. The following scale factors can be applied (again keeping in mind the mood and habitual biases of the airborne observer.

Air View		Conversion Factor		Ground View

Low Chamise			 x 3 			towering impenetrable chamise

Wadable river			x 2.6			barely survivable water crossing
Of 1 knee length

In addition to scale factors, some interpretation of fire behavior descriptions is occasionally required such as:

“making a little run =	“Firestorm with many spot fires”

“going to bump the road” = “paint on the engine scorched, water tank steaming, crew gasping in smoke 						as flaming wall approaches”

Back to acre adjusting…………

5 timber acres = 3 brush acres = ½ grass acre = 1 standard acre

6 steep acres = 2 ½ flat acres

14 no-fires-for-a-month acres = 5 third-fire-today acres

¼ fire-hiding–behind-the-ridge acre = 15 air-attack acres
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65

#youwin! #bravo!

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66

File for divorce. Jody is already at your house.

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67

Bonus acres= firing op out of the containment line

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68

Pumpkin time

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69

Smoker Report

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70

The big dog is eating

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72

“Waterdog’s” = Rising water vapor caused by heating of the ground after rain shower activity sometimes mistaken as smoke / a new fire.

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73

Lots of those today.

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74

“Whats a firewall?”

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75

If you are asking a question in regards to something someone posted above I’m sure it was a reference to a long continuous line of active fire. Much like a flaming front. This would likely be very uniformed active section of fire, typically in wildland expressed as a wall of fire and not a firewall.

If it’s structure related than it’s a walled structure from the foundation and often through the roof that prevents fire spread and will compartmentalize sections within the structure.

If this wasn’t a genuine question I apologize for the rant.

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76

Credit to Woody (whom ive never met) for creating this & #ShoutOut to Bob Bell, Bernie Bahro (killerbees) & Robert G Kafka & Mike Cherry for including this in your Tactics unit of S390/S290. Also thanks to @Ehoss84 for inspiring me to dig this out of the archives..

FOR DOZER OPERATORS ONLY.pdf (107.8 KB)

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77

I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Bell at the South Canyon staff ride while it was being put on with 2 shot crews and various personnel from varying agencies along with some of the survivors. I was a sawyer at the time. He was my group lead.

That was my most memorable learning experience to date in the fire service, 2 nights 1 field day led by a Marine Colonel if memory seves correct. Bob told me to grab a pencil and wtite down everything the Colonel says because it was gold (He was doing so himself), he was not wrong and might I say aside from his age he had the energy and enthusiasm of a young fireman.

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78

Oh no it was in reference to an old RT-130 video about firewhirls, but i appreciate the reply!

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79

Thank you sir and for the document. I forgot about that thing.

Stay safe, greasy side always point down.

Belly pan inspections are NEVER good​:rofl::skull_and_crossbones:

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80

I always heard it was the opposite of a truck: keep the shiny side down and the dirty side up. A couple thousand hours or getting scraped over rocks and dirt can bring a real high polish to the belly pan

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81

You betcha! Im still giggling inside from the one you posted! The wisdom, terminology etc in that thing is gold! Here’s one more that came to me from the same sources/mentors i mentioned above. It took a hot minute to resurrect and tidy up but here it is for the good of the order. Perhaps you’ve seen this one also. What it lacks for in specific terminology it more than makes up for with fire & life wisdom..
fires give the test.pdf (49.6 KB)

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82
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83

wfapdude, Thanks for posting this. It brings back memories but it’s very applicable to our younger (less than 55 yo), your “Fires Gives the Test” might be a continuation or forerunner to Chief Alan Brunacini’s “Timeless Tactical Truths” collection of axioms and sayings and his 1984 book of the same name. Chief Brunachini was a notable Municipal Fire Service Leader and educator. Back when I was Schedule A, I collected these and used them in my recruit academy classes. Both Sched A (structure) and Sched B (wildland). I started collecting these in the late "70’s. I’ll dig into my archives and see if I can find the others, not in your post or Chief Brunacini’s book. Thanks again for memories.

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84

All credit to the very longstanding “North Zone S-290 Group.” That Cadre was an S-390 cadre up until NWCG re-wrote S-390 the first time. They petitioned NWCG and were granted the blessing to teach & test (their own test developed in-house) a very unique S-290 class. It kept a tactics unit brought over from S390. Those materials were supplemental info from that unit. It was / is really good stuff, still applicable to this day. #Facts!

Edit for clarity & respect:
I have zero doubt that the folks who passed it on to my generation could absolutely have sourced some of it from indirectly or directly from Chief Brunacini - whom i’ve never met and i regret to admit had not heard of till now. Im looking for a copy of that book now tho. I have heard back from the instructor whom i got it from (Chief Bob Bell, ISFS Ret) and he started with a short list and added to it over his career and brought it into his classes. Every time he heard or observed a new one he’d add it to his running list. The fruits of that effort are what i posted. Chief Bell informed me that he is VERY familiar with Chief Bunacicni’s work - go figure, sounds like birds of a feather. Thank you for clueing me in!

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