Emergency Management Quiz

Glossary Terms

• Accountability Board: A plastic board with Velcro strips used by incident commanders, supervisors, or division supervisors to hold passports and track companies under their control.
• Africanized Honey Bees (AHB): A type of honeybee.
• Agency Having Jurisdiction (AHJ): The agency with authority to regulate or control a specific area.
• All Clear: Indicates a search is complete and no victims are located.
• Arrival: Indicates a unit has arrived at a location.
• Automatic Aid: A pre-determined response agreement between agencies.
• Available: Indicates a unit is prepared to respond to an incident.
• Backup Line: A staffed hose line that supports the primary attack line, which is the same or larger in size (diameter).
• Base: A remote resource pool of units at a designated location, often used during high-rise incidents or large-scale incidents.
• Battalion Chief (B/C): A chief officer in charge of a specific geographic area.
• BNICE: An acronym referring to Biological, Nuclear, Incendiary, Chemical, or Explosive materials and threats to first responders.
• Brush Truck: A unit capable of traversing rough terrain and equipped with its own water supply, well-suited for ground cover fires in wooded areas.
• Captain: A promoted or acting officer above Lieutenant, overseeing a suppression company and their station.
• Carelessness: Culpable, gross negligence, or reckless disregard for property or life, punishable as a crime.
• Casualty Collection Point (CCP): A pre-defined location used to collect, triage, and provide initial medical care to patients during incidents.

Other Terms

• Car-to-Car-CC Channel: A specialized communication channel.
• Charge the Line: Communication between the fire department officer (DE) and the person at the hydrant or nozzle.
• Chief Officer: Any recognized Miramar Fire Rescue chief officer, whether promoted or acting.
• Clear Text: Use of common terminology to reduce confusion at incidents, especially where multiple agencies are involved.
• Cold Zone: An area outside the warm zone with no immediate hazards, used for vehicle staging and treatment.
• Collapse Zone: A minimum safe distance based on 1.5 times the height of structure.
• Colony: A group of bees involved in nest-building, food collection, and brood rearing.
• Command: The act of directing, ordering, and controlling resources based on explicit legal, agency, or delegated authority.
• Company: A piece of equipment with a full complement of personnel.
• Company Unity: Indicates that a fire company or unit should remain together.
• Division: Several fire companies operating in a specific geographic area, under a division supervisor.
• Driver Engineer-DE: This is a specific function.
• EBSS: Emergency Breathing Support System, a 3-foot-long hose for breathing support.
• Elevator: A building shaft with mechanisms for efficiently moving between floors.
• Emergency Traffic: Clear designated channels for important radio traffic during emergencies.
• Engine: A unit capable of fire suppression and providing Advanced Life Support.
• Extrication Group Leader: Coordinates personnel and resources for extracting trapped victims in incidents.
• FDOL: Federal Department of Labor.
• FireComm: Fire communications officer.
• Fire investigation: Determining the cause and origin of a fire.
• Fire Knocked Down: Indicates extinguishment of the main fire body.
• Fire Life Safety Inspector: Individuals assigned to ensure fire safety in a given area.
• Fire Out: The fire is completely extinguished with no further damage occurring.
• IRIC: Initial Rapid Intervention Crew.
• Geographic Designation: A system for describing the orientation of buildings.
• Group: A group of firefighters from different companies with a common task, not necessarily in a specific location.
• Hazardous Device: A device potentially explosive, containing chemicals with harmful or explosive potential.
• High Rise: A fire in a building higher than three floors.
• High-Risk Occupancies: Schools, daycares, hospitals, etc., with a high vulnerability during a fire.
• Hold the Line: A command to firefighters to not charge the water line.
• Hot Zone: The surrounding area immediately near the incident to prevent dangers to personnel.
• IDLH: Acronym for Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health. Refers to an operational environment.
• Incident Commander (IC): The individual responsible for managing all incident operations.
• Incident Command System (ICS): A system used to manage incident operations efficiently.
• Initial Rapid Intervention Crew (IRIC): Two members who remain outside the initial hazard risk area.
• Incident Safety Officer (ISO): Monitors safety hazards during incidents and reports to the Incident Commander.
• Inner Circle Survey: An evaluation performed near vehicle collisions to determine patient numbers, hazards, and vehicle stability.
• Ladder: A unit providing fire suppression at high levels, sometimes including forcible entry.
• Lieutenant: A fire company officer, can be a captain, upgrade captain, lieutenant or upgrade lieutenant.
• Landing Zone (LZ): A location where injured or casualty transport may occur during incidents involving large numbers of injured.
• Level 1/2 Staging: Locations used during incidents for gathering resources prior to deployment.
• Limited Access Highway: Roadway with restricted entrance and exit points.
• Loss Stopped: The condition when fire damage is halted.
• Mass Casualty Incident (MCI): Incident where the number of injuries exceeds the first responders' capabilities.
• Mobile Command: An officer who combines investigation/action functions with command.
• Mobile Data Terminal (MDT): A device used for data communication.
• Move-Up: Indicates a unit is available to deploy to a different area.
• Mutual Aid: Assistance given between agencies through agreement.
• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): An established agency.
• NIMS: National Incident Management System
• Officer: Supervising fire officer, can be a captain, upgrade captain, lieutenant or upgrade lieutenant.
• On Scene: Indicates a unit has arrived at the emergency scene.
• OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
• Outer Circle Survey: Evaluation of threats outside the immediate incident zone (utilities, fluids, etc.)
• Out of Service: Indicates a unit is unable to respond.
• PAR Tags: Firefighter name tags.
• Parking Garages: Structures designated for parking multiple vehicles.
• Passport: A tag used to track companies and individual firefighters.
• Passport Accountability System (PAS): Tracking system for company and individual firefighters.
• Personnel Accountability Reports (PAR): Reporting on firefighters assigned to incidents.
• PIO: Public Information Officer
• Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV): Property protection by removing burning products.
• Primary Fire Damage: Damage to property from burning materials.
• Primary Passport: A primary identification document for tracking during incidents.
• Primary Search: Initial thorough search to locate victims.
• Property Conservation: Protecting property from damage during incidents.
• Quick Attack: Rapid discharge of tank water by the first responder units.
• Rapid Intervention Crew/Team (RIC/RIT): A team of firefighters ready to perform rescue operations.
• Rescue: A unit capable of Advanced Life Support and transporting patients during incidents.
• RECEOVS: A method for priority during structure fires: Rescue, Exposure, Confinement, Extinguishment, Overhaul, and Ventilation.
• Scene Time Notification: A constant updated and transmitted notification of the elapsed time since the start of an incident.
• Secondary Fire Damage: Damage from rescue, firefighting, post-fire clean up efforts, and property conservation.
• Secondary Search: A thorough search to ensure no victims were missed in the initial search.
• Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): Personal breathing apparatus.
• Size-Up: Evaluation of incident problems and conditions.
• Span of Control: The number of personnel reporting directly to a supervisor.
• Stinging Incident: Incident where the victim/s have multiple stings.
• Squad: A unit providing limited fire suppression.
• Staging: Locations for firefighters and equipment to be deployed.
• Strike Team: A group of similar resources working together.
• Swarm: A mechanism for honeybees to form a new colony.
• Tactical Channel (TAC): A communications channel.
• Talk Permit Tone: Tone used to ensure that a radio system is accepting transmissions.
• Task Force: Combination of resources for specific tasks.
• Terrorist Incident: Acts of violence aimed to intimidate or coerce entities.
• Under Control: Indicates considerable progress in extinguishing a fire.
• Unified Command: Collaboration between agencies for incident control.
• Unit: A single apparatus or resource with personnel assigned.
• Unit/Position: Identification for portable radio units.
• V.E.S.: Vent-Enter-Search method to find and remove victims from a fire area.
• Warm Zone: Non-hazardous area for staging medical and tools.
• Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD): Explosive, incendiary, poison gas, bomb, military ordinance materials, etc.
• Working Fire: Indicates all responding units are required in tactical activities