Water Tenders

A Water Tender, which can also be known as a tanker truck or water bowser is a specialist fire appliance with the primary purpose of transporting large amounts of water to the fireground. These are especially useful in rural areas where fire hydrants are not readily available.

Most tenders have an on-board pumping system. This pump is often not of sufficient power to fight fires (as it is designed to be attached to a fire engine), but is more often used to draw water into the tender from hydrants or other water sources. In some areas, the tenders are used to pump water during floods, and may be fitted with a heavier duty pump for this purpose. Many tankers are equipped with fast drain valves on the sides and back of the truck. This allows firefighters to empty thousands of gallons of water in just a few seconds.

Most water tenders are designed to carry loads of 1,000 gallons (approx. 3,800 litres) or more. In the US, 1,000 gallons is the requirement in the NFPA standards[4]. Some may carry up to or even upwards of 5,000 gallons (more than 20,000 litres) of water.[5][6][7].

In some fire departments, a similar function may be performed by a Hose Layer, which carries large-capacity high-pressure hose wagons to incidents where hydrants or other water sources are not close enough to the fireground. It will lay out its hose at the nearest hydrant or water source then drive to the fireground with the hose laying off the back; upon arrival it will connect to a fire appliance to supply it with the water needed for the firefighting operations.