alligatoring n.— «On the second floor, flames had corrugated the banister into what looked like charcoal briquettes, a phenomenon known in firefighter parlance as “alligatoring,” because of its resemblance to a reptile’s bumpy back...
burp v.— «The firefighters have a technique called “burping the suit” that involves pulling open the neck of the Mustang, then crouching down to force excess air out of the suit. The technique prevents the suit from ballooning...
blacking out n.— «We haven’t been attacking the fire from the front, but controlling it from the flanks to stop it spreading.…The process was called “blacking out” which involved mopping up where the fire had burned already, dousing...
bump up v. phr.— «He lauded the five killed in the Esperanza Fire as among the most trusted and urged their loved ones to “bump up,” a common firefighting term meaning “move forward.”» —“Firefighters pay...
firemedic n.— «The role of firefighter—or firemedic, as they are called in Venice—has changed, and Johnson, whose last day as fire chief is Monday, hopes he has led the department in the right direction.» —“Venice finds position to...
fire out v. phr.— «More than 2,000 firefighters attacked the Esperanza fire on several fronts Friday, using bulldozers and hand crews to build containment lines. Planes dropped water and fire retardant and set back fires to burn the fuel...