Fire protection and emergency services

kay terms chapter 1

Certification.

A document showing that a student has completed the required education and training for a job, such as firefighter 1 or emergency medical technician.

Company Officer

The first-line supervisor in the fire department; depending on the jurisdiction, this job may have various titles, such as captain, lieutenant, Sargent, station manager, module leader, or unit manager.

Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) System

A system that dispatchers use to prioritize and record incident calls, identify the status and location of responders in the field, and dispatch responders.

Control Line

An area where fuel has been removed, water or other extinguishing agent has been applied, or natural barriers exist to stop wildland fire from spreading.

Driver/Operator

The person responsible for driving and operating the pumper or aerial ladder truck assigned to the fire department; depending on the jurisdiction, this job may have various titles such as engineer, chauffer, or operator.

Duel-role paramedic

A person who performs as both a paramedic and firefighter.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

A person with a level or medical training that usually consists of 100 hours of classroom and practical training and has passed a national registry exam.

Foam

A finished product of water mixed with certain agents that help water to put out fire.

Fuel management

When naturally growing fuels, such as brush, are reduced to lessen a fire’s strength or to open up areas for wildlife and cattle.

Helitrack crew

Staff whose primary means of getting to fires is by helicopter; they also help with helicopter duties when it is used for water drops or crew and equipment transportation.

Hose lay

How the hose is laid out at a fire scene.

Hotshot crew

Hand crew firefighters with advanced skills and experience who work on wildland fires.

Hydraulics

A branch of science that deals with the practical applications of fluid motion.

Logging slash

The remnants of logging work, including limbs trimmed from downed trees and broken tree trunks.

McLeod

A tool for fighting wildland fires that has a scraping blade on one side of the head and a rake on the other.

Paramedic

A person with an advanced level of medical training; they can perform invasive procedures on a patient, such as starting intravenous lines.

Prescribed burning

Planned use of fire under specific conditions in a precise area to manage a fire; included removal or modification of fuels, clearing paths through brush, and killing unwanted growth.

Probationary firefighter

A person hired by the fire department who does not have permanent status.

Pulaski

A tool for fighting wildland fires that has an axe on one side of the head and a grub hoe on the other.

Reforestation

The planning of seeding trees in areas damaged by fire or logging.

Resume

A list of a person’s job experiences and education.

Retardant

A material spread on fuels that prevents burning.

Salvage

A firefighter’s way of protecting building contents from damage due to water or falling debris

Single-role paramedic

A person hired by the fire department who performs only as a paramedic.

Smokejumper

A highly trained firefighter who parachutes in to put out fires in remote areas.

Specialist

A person with specialized knowledge and skills in an area of study or a specific job.

Training

The pursuit of a certain skill.

Wildland

Open land in its natural state.