Technical glossary

Elapsed Time – The difference in time between the beginning of any action and its actual accomplishment; in fire fighting operations it is customarily divided into:

• Discovery Time – The period from start of a fire (estimated or known) until the time of discovery.
• Report Time – The period from discovery of a fire until the first person charged with initiating suppression action is notified of its existence and location.
• Get-Away Time – The period from receipt of report of a fire by the first person responsible for suppression until departure of the initial attack force.
• Travel Time – The period between departure of the initial attack force for a fire and its arrival at the fire.
• Response Time – The period from receipt of first report of a fire to start of actual fire fighting; includes both get-away and travel time.
• Control Time – The period from initial attack until the fire is controlled.
• Mop-up Time – The period from achievement of control until enough work has been done to ensure the fire can not rekindle.
• Patrol Time – The period from completion of mop-up until the fire is declared out.
• Escaped Fire – A wildfire (or prescribed fire that has burned beyond its intended area) that remains out of control following initial attack.

Extra or Emergency Fire Fighter (EFF) – Personnel other than regular employees or seasonally employed crews, hired on a casual basis for presuppression and suppression related work activities.

Extreme Fire Behaviour – A level of fire behaviour that often precludes any fire suppression action. It usually involves one or more of the following characteristics: high rate of spread and frontal fire intensity, crowning, prolific spotting, presence of large fire whirls, and a well-established convection column. Fires exhibiting such phenomena often behave in an erratic, sometimes dangerous, manner. Note Blowup and Fire Storm.