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Above-ground storage tank
Storage tank that is not buried. Compare Underground storage tank. Unburied tanks are more prone to physical damage, and leaks are released to the air or ground, rather than the soil surrounding a buried tank.


Accelerant
Flammable fuel (often liquid) used by some arsonists to increase size or intensity of fire. May also be accidentally introduced when HAZMAT becomes involved in fire.


Accelerator (also exhauster)
Portion of dry-pipe system that bleeds air or shunts air pressure below the clapper valve when sprinkler pipe pressure drop is sensed, thus speeding operation of the valve to fill the system with water.


Accountability
The process of emergency responders (fire, police, SAR, emergency medical, etc...) checking into and making themselves announced as being on-scene during an incident to an incident commander or acountability officer. Through the accountability system, each person is tracked throughout the incident until released from the scene by the incident commander or accountability officer. This is becoming a standard in the emergency services arena primarily for the safety of emergency personnel. This system may implement a name tag system or personal locator device(tracking device used by each individual that is linked to a computer).Willoughbyccfd5 23:52, 3 December 2006 (UTC)


Adapter
Plumbing accessories for connecting hoses and pipes of incompatible diameter, thread, or gender. See also reducer, increaser, double male, double female, water thief. May contain combinations, such as a double-female reducer. Adapters between multiple hoses are called wye, Siamese, or distributor, which see below.


Aerial apparatus
Fire truck having an attached extension ladder, nozzle, man-lift-bucket, or similar device raised using power from the truck. May also carry other portable ladders and tools.


Aerial canopy
Fuel type comprised of trees having few low branches, making it less susceptible to ignition by low-intensity fires.


Aerial firefighting (or air attack)
Use of aircraft in support of ground resources to combat wildfires, often most effective in initial attack in light fuels.


Air drop
Delivery of supplies or retardant from the air. Supplies can be dropped by parachute. Retardant is dropped in a single salvo, or one or more "trails", the size of which is determined by the wind and the volume speed and altitude of the airtanker (usually no less than 200 feet above the drop zone).


Air monitoring meter
Electronic device for measuring the presence of one or more chemicals in air, such as oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide or volatile organic compounds; may have preset danger threshold alarms.


Air operations
Group tasked with coordinating aerial-based observation, supply, rescue and suppression at a wildfire.


Air Tactical Group Supervisor or Air Attack
Coordinates air resources for attack of a fire.


Airbags
(1) inflatable device used for lifting or spreading; (2) vehicle safety device with potential explosion hazard during vehicle extrication if not already blown.


Airpack
Jargon for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).


Airtanker
Fixed-wing aircraft certified by FAA as being capable of transport and delivery of 600 to 3,0000 gallons of water or other liquid or powder fire retardants. Formerly referred to as borate bombers" before borate-based retardants became less desirable. Often accompanied by a spotter plane.


Alarm
(1) system for detecting and reporting unusual conditions, such as smoke, fire, flood, loss of air, HAZMAT release, etc; (2) a specific assignment of multiple fire companies and/or units to a particular incident, usually of fire in nature; (3) centralized dispatch center for interpreting alarms and dispatching resources. See fire alarm control panel.


All companies working
Status report at fire scene indicating that available manpower is busy, and more resources may become necessary if incident is not controlled soon.


Ammonium nitrate
Component of ANFO; contents of two ships that exploded in Texas City Disaster, killing over 500 people, including all 28 volunteer firefighters at the scene.


Anchor point
An advantageous location, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to start constructing a fireline. The anchor point is used to minimize the chance of being flanked (or outflanked) by the fire while the line is being constructed.


ANFO
Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil combination making a high explosive.