The Lingo

The Lingo

“Grab an extra sig for your sawyer.”

“Oh yeah, they’re dialed in, for sure.”

“Bomber!”

It was like they were trying to say something to me, but even when I watched their mouths very closely, leaned in for an acute auditory experience, I wasn’t getting it.

“Anybody catch the new freaks?”

“RTO! RTO!”

“So Fatty’s dolmar needs refilling…”

Yes, they were still speaking English, just the fire-variant: lots of shortcuts, lots of jargon. It was like entering a glittery new world. Fire didn’t race—it chewed. Weather was slung. Hose came in sticks. Helicopters dipped out of pumpkins. I encountered specifics I’d never needed before: the e-clip embedded in a chainsaw’s powerhead, the round file, the piss pump, the Jerry. It was confusing and it was great and it took almost five months to get the gist of it. Even then, there were still moments when an entire conversation took a turn for the technical and I become horrendously lost in the language that was my native.

Throughout “144 Days,” I’ve underscored certain words which are more fire than English; at the end of each section, I’ve included a definition. Happy lingo-ing.

Lingo

Sig: A cylindrical metal container used to store saw gas and bar oil; about the size of a water bottle, sigs can be attached to line gear so that sawyers can refuel their chainsaws on the line; on our crew, each crew member would usually carry two sigs for our two sawyers, thus providing plenty of fuel 

Dialed in: An efficient crew that works in synch 

Bomber: Awesome! Swell!

Freaks: Short for 'frequencies'; refers to radio frequencies, which had to be reprogrammed into our radios on every new fire
RTO: Stands for Reverse Tool Order; when digging line, 'RTO' means to turn around (last person in the line now leading) and move further back from the fire, usually because the fire has just kicked up and it is no longer safe to remain
Dolmar: A large two compartment container that holds saw fuel and bar oil; used to refill chainsaws; housed in fire trucks and occasionally carried onto the line (although they are much less portable than sigs)

Photo 1. Ridge Top Fire in southern Idaho