Bulk Water Carrier

A Tanker, also known as a Bulk Water Carrier (BWC), refers to any appliance carrying bulk water, and may be setup as a a rigid or articulated configuration, 4 wheel drive capable or not and usually this will be dependant on the terrain it will be expected to work in. The capacity of water carried varies from 4,000 litres to 17,000 litres.

New terminology for the naming was introduced in 2004, which assists in identifying the amount of water being carried. Eg: BW17 designates a Bulk Water Carrier, carrying 17,000 litres of water.

A Tanker type appliance is suitable for all urban responses but more commonly used for fires in areas where there is no access to mains water, or there is a problem with supply through mains water.

Articulated Tankers operating now have been converted from bulk carrying of other materials, such as milk or wine, to have pumps and fittings mounted to couple up to hydrants and appliances.

Tankers or BWC's carry a variety of equipment, depending on individual brigade requirements.

Specifications

Equipment carried by a Tanker may include:

25mm layflat hose
38mm layflat hose
64 mm layflat hose
64 mm filler length
Suction hose
Safety vests
Traffic cones
GRN radios
VHF / UHF radios
Assorted extinguishers
First Aid Kit

Additional equipment may be carried, and may include:

GPS Unit
Floating collar dam
Auxiliary pump
Salvage Sheet