Departments that operate water tenders know how valuable these vehicles can be in areas without hydrants. Well-designed water tenders operated by well-trained crews often can provide sustained water flowrates that match or exceed those available from municipal water systems.

Over the years, some departments have gone one step further and specified water tenders that can do more than just shuttle water. The first, and most common, upgrade was to add a pump, hose and equipment normally carried on a structure pumper. The resulting pumper/tender gave the first-arriving firefighters the ability to make a sustained attack with monitors and handlines while other units established a water supply from a distant source. The availability of a pumper/tender at the scene of the incident also gave firefighters access to all the equipment normally carried on an engine, as well as earned the department engine-company credit on its ISO rating.

The next step for a few departments was to add a third or fourth function to water tenders. Most departments let the types of responses in their areas define those additional functions. Here are a few examples of water tenders that can do more.

Specifying pumper/tenders with rescue capabilities certainly makes sense for departments where the lack of hydrants requires first-response apparatus with big pumps and tanks, but most of the day-to-day calls are for motor-vehicle accidents and other rescue incidents. Generators, area lights, and hydraulic pumps and rescue tools are all common additions to structure pumpers and would work equally well on pumper/tenders. Bodies with full-height compartments on both sides can provide plenty of room for equipment.

Adding Class B foam systems to pumper/tenders gives departments the ability to handle flammable liquid fires involving motor vehicles, railroad cars, bulk storage facilities and other large-scale incidents that might overpower the foam capabilities of standard pumpers. Doubling up and carrying Class A foam lets departments attack large structure and wildland fires, too. With appropriate foam transfer pumps, pumper/tenders could also act as mobile fill stations for other apparatus in situations where multiple points of attack are required over long periods.

Specifying pumper/tenders with aerial devices is nothing new. Some departments have been doing it for years to protect seasonal packing plants and other large structures in rural areas. The ability to quickly establish elevated master streams with a minimum number of personnel can be the difference between stopping a fire and losing a building. Rapid setup and simple controls are two important keys. To take full advantage of the flow capacity from an aerial, departments should specify large tank-to-pump connections and pre-plumbed monitors with remote controls.

Many state and federal agencies use pumper/tenders to fight wildland fires, and some city and county departments have adopted the concept as well. The larger water capacities allow these units to remain on scene longer, and power-takeoff pumps give them pump-and-roll capabilities. Other common specifications for this application include remote-control monitors, foam systems and ground spray nozzles. Departments considering this application need to understand that pumper/tenders usually do not have the ground clearance or side-slope stability required to operate on uneven ground and are best used on level terrain or roadways.

Although adding components to the basic water tender configuration means the resulting vehicles can perform more functions, it also means that they will cost more, weigh more and require more space. The best approach is to find a combination that meets your department's specific needs and budget — because doing more does not necessarily mean doing everything.

A Look at Vacuum Tenders

Vacuum tankers/tenders can self-load at flowrates up to 1,200 gpm and dump at rates up to 1,800 gpm, but can they fight fires or deliver foam? The answer, according to Becky Reber at Firovac Power Systems, is yes.

Firovac is one of the largest manufacturers of vacuum tenders that are specifically designed for the fire service. The value of these units is that they can draw water from any static or pressurized water source without relying on portable pumps or requiring supply pumpers at the fill site. This speeds up fill time and requires fewer apparatus and personnel. And because vacuum tenders work by evacuating air from the tank, rather than drafting water through a pump, air leaks in the hose lines or whirlpooling at the suction strainer will not cause a loss of prime.

At the dump site, vacuum tenders reverse the air flow and pressurize the tank to offload water at flowrates significantly higher than possible with gravity dumps. And because the water flows under pressure, it can be delivered to portable tanks through short lengths of large-diameter hose. This potentially allows multiple tankers/tenders to dump at the same time and avoids maneuvering and backing vehicles at the dump site.

If these advantages weren't enough, Firovac now offers vacuum tenders with PTO-driven water pumps up to 1,250 gpm and standard side-mounted pump panels. All the water pump controls are on the pump panel and all the vacuum pump controls are inside the cab to keep them separate and simplify operation. The water pump may be plumbed to pre-connected hose lines or monitors as well as deliver water through multiple discharge outlets. Foam systems are available and operate the same way they do on regular pumper/tenders. As an added bonus, the PTO drive allows pump-and-roll operation for use in wildland fires.

“Several of our customers have specified pumps and foam systems on our vacuum tenders,” says Reber. “It's a versatile combination that gives departments added flexibility.”