Embedded Files
Below is commonly used terms that you may hear over the radio/in person
180 – CA Highway Patrol Form 180, a legal form for impounding a vehicle. Impounding a vehicle may be referred to as “doing a 180”
AO - Administrative Officer: Supervisor in charge of business management. Arch. Site: An archeological site containing evidence of cultural resources.
Bench Marks: A round brass plate permanently affixed to a rock or cement foundation indicating elevation.
B.A. - Biological Analysis: An official document surveying threatened, endangered, and sensitive species of plant and animals.
BLM - Bureau of Land Management: A Federal Land Management Agency under the Department of the Interior.
BOLO – “Be On the Look Out…”: A radio communication alerting all units to be on the look out for certain individuals and/or vehicles. These persons may be missing, suicidal, lost, dangerous, fleeing a crime, mentally unstable, etc.
Call Sign: A specific designator used to identify an individual or unit while using the radio.
Campground: An area improved to provide sites for adequate camping including group and family campsites, water and restrooms.
Campsite: A backcountry camping location usually cleared of brush and without any other improvement.
CDF - California Department of Forestry: The State Office of Forestry that often assists in firefighting efforts.
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations: Authority under which Forest Officers and Law Enforcement Officers discharge their duties.
Clear Text: Terminology used in radio communication in place of numeric codes.
Concessionaire: An individual or group that holds a permit to operate a government facility on National Forest Land.
Developed Recreation: Facilities provided for recreational activities such as campgrounds, interpretive trails, picnic area, and amphitheaters.
DO - District Office: Office headquarters of each Ringer District.
Dispersed Camping: To camp outside of established campgrounds is dispersed camping. District Ranger: The line officer in charge of the district.
District Management Team: The District Ranger and Staff Officers of the District who meet to discuss district programming and direction.
EA - Environmental Assessment: An analysis document that examines a specific area of land. Public provides input as well as the agency. This document is written when impacts do not significantly affect the human environment or biological setting i.e. tree planting, trail construction and land exchanges.
EIS - Environmental Impact Statement: An analysis document written about a specific site when there is significant impact occurring or proposed to occur. Experimental Forest: An independent unit used in scientific study and manipulation usually located within or near a National Forest.
FSM - Forest Service Manual: A numerically organized set of manuals of Forest Service policy.
FSH - Forest Service Handbook: A numerically organized set of manuals of Forest Service practices. Fire, Fire Shop: The management group with responsibility of fire suppression.
Fire Cache: A Forest Service warehouse that supplies firefighting and base camp supplies. Forest
Protection Officer (FPO) (Level II): A Forest employee trained in writing citations and enforcing minor violations.
Fuels: Anything that will burn, such as trees, chaparral, grass, brush, buildings. Green Rig: A Forest Service vehicle.
Green Sticker: A registration sticker supplied by the State of California for registration of off-highway vehicles.
Impact: Any significant effect on the land.
Incident: Any occurrence on the Forest worthy of being documented.
In-service: Radio terminology used to advise the dispatcher you are on duty. Interpretive Services: The shop that educates the visitor on forest opportunities.
Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP): The Forest management plans that is written in 10-15 year intervals to provide a “blueprint” for the management of all aspects of the forest.
LEO – Law Enforcement Officer (Level IV): A Forest Service employee responsible for enforcing Federal, State and Local law on the forest; a federal peace officer.
Line Officer: Forest Service employee who has the authority to make decisions for the agency, i.e. District Rangers, Forest Supervisors, Regional Foresters and the Chief of the Forest Service.
McLeod: A tool designed for fire suppression and used for trail work. This tool is a flat metal plate attached to a wooden handle with a thick rake on one side and a sharp flat edge on the other.
Minerals: Deposits of natural ores on the land. Managed by the “Minerals Shop”.
NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act: A federal act that directs all environmental conduct through a systematic evaluation of the social, economic and environmental aspects of proposed actions on a specific piece of land.
OHV Area – Off Highway Vehicle Area: An area where that is legally designated for the operation of off highway vehicles.
Out-of-Service: Radio terminology used to advise the dispatcher that you are not in working status. Permittee: A person or group that holds a Special Use Permit from the Forest Service.
Picnic Area: An area specifically developed for day use and picnicking. POV: Privately owned vehicle.
Prescribed burn: Preplanned fire for the purpose of fuels management, habitat improvement and range forest improvements.
Pulaski: A tool developed for fire suppression and used for trail work. This tool has an axe’s sharp edge on one side and a grubbing tool on the other.
RO – Regional Office: The office that houses administrative and technical support for the Regional Forester.
The RO for the Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) is located in San Francisco, CA.
Range: (1) A place where livestock graze; and (2) a term used to describe land survey locations (e.g. topographical maps)
Ranger: Officially this is the District Ranger. To the public, this is anyone in a Forest Service Uniform. Recreation: The shop that manages recreational opportunities.
Repeater: A radio transmitter designed to receive and boost signal strength of any radio transmission on Forest Service frequencies.
RP – Reporting Party: The person(s) who made the initial report of an incident.
Resources: Attributes found in or on the land. Also the shop that manages these attributes.
SO – Supervisor’s Office: The office that provides administrative and technical support for the Forest Supervisor and the various ranger districts.
Also: Sheriff’s Office
Section: A term used in surveying. A section is typically a 1-mile by 1-mile square of about 640 acres.
Sensitive Species: All species identified on State or Federal records for monitoring. Shop: A functional unit that manages a particular specialty.
Six-pack: A pickup truck with four doors and two bench seats (crew cab) capable of carrying six people. Staff: Department leaders who support the Line Officers.
Stock: Equestrian, horse, mule, burro, llama, etc. Switchback: Tight turn in a trail traversing up a hillside. Tone: An audio signal sent by radio to activate a repeater.
Township: North/South location of areas on a topographical map
Transect: A continuous baseline used for biological, vegetative and soil surveys.
UTL – Unable to Locate: Clear Text radio language indicating that a unit has not been able to find a reported incident.
Watershed: A delineated geographic area where water/rainfall collects into a common watercourse.
Wilderness: A section of land set aside by Congress as land to be preserved in its natural state, open to lawful hunting and fishing, devoid of roads, artificial structures or other works of man
WO - Washington Office: The main office that houses administrative support for the Chief of the Forest Service.
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