Wildfire Terms Glossary
HANDCREW: A fire crew responsible for constructing fireline using hand tools. A Type II crew performs fire suppression and fuel management.
FIRELINE: A gap in vegetation created by firefighters to slow the spread of a fire. Cutting line is cutting, scraping or digging until the surface is scraped down to the mineral soil.
SMOKEJUMPER: A specially trained wildland firefighter who parachutes out of a plane to provide an initial attack response on wildfires that are remote and difficult to access.
HOTSHOT CREW: Short for Interagency Hotshot Crew, these are groups of highly-trained firefighters who perform some of the most demanding and hazardous tasks in wildland firefighting. They are assigned to the most challenging terrain and high-priority blazes. Crew members are called hotshots.
CREW BOSS: A crew boss leads a handcrew and is responsible for its safety during a wildfire.
SANTA LUCIA CREW 7: This crew has been known as the Cal Poly Thermos, Santa Lucia Max II and Santa Lucia Crew 3 over the years. It officially became Santa Lucia Crew 7 in 1998, but it’s also informally known as the Santa Lucia crew among alumni.
MRE: Short for Meal, Ready to Eat, this is a complete shelf-stable meal that can be eaten without needing to cook, and is eaten during long days on the fireline.
SPIKE OUT: To set up a small camp in a remote wildfire area when working too far from the main camp to eat and get regular supplies before and after shifts.
