Tanker fire trucks, also known as tenders, are evolving to be versatile, multi-purpose support vehicles customized to match the needs of unique firehouses across North America.

What should your fire department consider as it specs a new tanker fire truck?

This blog walks through the most critical considerations in the specification process and offers a unique look at Pierce’s strategy and the new tanker fire truck product portfolio. 

Tankers Evolving in the Market

Historically a tanker or tender’s main purpose was to haul water and play a pivotal role in the water shuttle process. When a call goes out, a tanker springs into action supporting neighboring departments in mutual aid delivering water to the scene. Tankers line up to drop water in a portable tank to ensure the scene has enough water to fight the fire.

Tankers also are used to nurse the engine on scene or bring miscellaneous equipment that is not often included on initial response engines, including a portable water tank, hard suction hose storage, a portable pump, extra hose, and additional miscellaneous equipment.

Tankers are a critical part of emergency response. But not every fire department has or needs a traditional tanker. Some departments need their tanker to be a front-line engine to haul a large volume of water on the vehicle going directly to the scene. This often occurs in a rural area where daytime firefighters and hydrants are not readily available.

The flexibility of the Pierce product portfolio helps you configure the trucks that meets your needs.

What Should Fire Departments Consider When Specifying a Tanker Fire Truck?

If your fire department is considering adding a tanker fire truck to its fleet, here are some simple guidelines that may be helpful.

1. Understand the mission of the truck

As you consider designing a fire apparatus, understanding the goals and mission of the truck is a critical starting point. Assess your current fleet capabilities, the geographical area you are covering, and the strategic use of a new truck to determine what needs to be included on board. The coverage area and obstacles have a big impact on your decisions.

What happens if a road is blocked, a train is stopped, the road washed out, and how far away is mutual aid?

Do you need a truck that will be NFPA classified as a mobile water supply or pumper?

Keep in mind that a combination of trucks can be designed to meet your fire department’s unique needs.

2. Determine the amount of water needed on board

As you evaluate the truck’s mission, you’ll start to define specific attributes required on the vehicle.  Understanding the amount of water required is an important consideration for the size of the tanker needed. Evaluate the water sources in the area, mutual aid availability, and the supporting human resources because these elements will all have an impact on water requirements. Additionally, hydrants in the area can change the needs as well.

Some municipalities are required to meet specified ISO ratings. As you spec your truck, be sure to have all of the relevant information pertaining to local requirements on hand.

3. What storage do I need?

As you continue reviewing different elements of the truck design, it’s important to consider storage requirements.

Will the truck act as the primary engine, and if so, what type of equipment must be included to fight fires?

If the truck is intended for water shuttle, you’ll likely need less storage, but you should consider dump valves and how you need to operate during all phases of on scene support. Do you need one dump valve at the rear with chute to dump on either side or do you need side dumps? Adding cameras and scene lights over the valve will improve visibility and increase safety. 

4. What equipment needs to be on board?

The types of equipment required on board can be determined once the mission of the truck is fully defined. If you’re looking to add a pumper to your fleet, equipment needs may include initial response equipment, as well as hard suction hoses for drafting water from a portable tank. A tanker truck, on the other hand, often requires portable tank storage, portable pump storage, and various hose types and accessories.

The process of specifying a tanker fire truck can be lengthy, but when you take the time to define the mission and requirements, it will ensure any new apparatus will appropriately support an existing fleet of vehicles. 

NFPA Requirements: Pumper Apparatus vs. Mobile Water Supply

Did you know? According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines, a tanker fire truck can be classified as a pumper fire apparatus or a mobile water supply.

While this typically doesn't impact fire departments at the outset of the specification process, knowing the NFPA requirements and understanding the differences between a pumper apparatus and a mobile water supply can be helpful.

A mobile water supply must include, but is not limited to:

• A water tank with a minimum certified capacity of 1,000 gallons
• A minimum of 10 cu. ft of weather-resistant compartmentation
• A minimum hose storage area of 6 cu. ft for 2½" or larger fire hose
• A water pump and ladders are not required

Tankers/tenders in this classification have a primary mission to carry water.

A pumper tanker apparatus must include, but is not limited to:

• A water pump with a minimum rated capacity of 750 gpm
• A water tank with a minimum certified capacity of 300 gallons
• A minimum of 40 cu. ft of weather-resistant compartmentation
• A minimum hose storage area of 30 cu. ft for 2½" or larger fire hose
• Two areas of 3.5 cu. ft of 1½" or larger preconnected hose
• A 12 ft or longer combination or extension ladder shall be carried

Tankers/tenders in this classification have a primary mission of a pumper and can be a frontline truck for a department.

Depending on the specification factors, mission of the truck and which tanker option a fire department chooses, it must follow the NFPA guidelines accordingly.

Pierce Pumper Tanker Product Portfolio

Pierce Manufacturing is proud to offer a complete line of pumper tanker options to meet the various requirements of fire departments. The new streamlined tanker portfolio of products is customizable, making it easy for fire departments to add and remove features based on mission requirements. 

Commercial BX Tanker

The Pierce BX™ Tanker fire truck offers a pre-engineered package combination of the most popular features of Pierce’s dry side tankers at a competitive price. The BX tanker is set up as a mobile water supply to meet the needs of remote markets. This entry-level tanker truck has the features departments need, with a streamlined, efficient design.

• Freightliner chassis offerings
• 2,100 gallons on a single axle or 3000 gallons on a tandem axle
• 750 - 1,500 gpm water pump with pump in motion
• Features lower and upper compartments with side and rear dump valves
• Can be equipped with Husky™ 3 foam system

Read more about the BX tanker now.

Commercial Wet Side Tanker

The Pierce commercial wet side tanker is a perfect fit for customers who want more design and feature options in their tanker without taking the leap to a fully customized tanker. Much like the commercial dry side tanker, Pierce’s commercial wet side tanker is set up as a mobile water supply to meet the needs of remote markets.

The wet side tanker has many features:

• Multiple chassis options 
• 2-door, 2-door extension and 4-door configurations are available
• 2,100 gallons on a Single Axle or 3000 gallons on a tandem axle 
• It can be equipped with a 500-1500 gpm water pump 
• It is available with integral suction hose storage and several rear dump valve options 
• The body platform allows for plenty of storage options, including both high and low compartments

Learn more about wet side tankers here.

Commercial Dry Side Tanker

Pierce’s commercial dry side tanker at its baseline is set up as a mobile water supply to meet the needs of remote markets. However, the dry side tanker is customizable to meet the needs of each unique department, and many features can be upgraded to allow the truck to meet NFPA pumper classifications without changing to a different product line.

The dry side tanker features an enclosed water tank and ample compartmentation for equipment and supplies. As such, the commercial dry side tanker can function as a primary pumper apparatus.

The commercial dry side tanker has many features, including:

• Multiple chassis options 
• 2-door, 2-door extension and 4-door configurations are available
• Water pump options from 500 gpm PTO pumps up to the 2000 gpm midship pumps
• Increased storage options and full-height compartments which provide the flexibility to accommodate changing mission requirements
• Multiple single-axle and tandem-axle body lengths to meet varying tank capacities and vehicle size requirements
• Multi-purpose flexibility to configure a water hauler or frontline engine and everything in-between

Learn more about commercial dry side truck features and see an image gallery. 

Custom Dry side Tanker

Pierce’s custom dry side tanker fire truck is set up with the pumper classification in mind, but it can also be set up as a mobile water supply. Custom dry side tankers can be fully customized, giving fire departments more control of the apparatus design from front to back and top to bottom. The heavy-duty construction allows for a wide variety of compartmentation, which departments can customize, including water pump and pump house options that are virtually limitless. Whether it's a side control, top mount, or Husky™ foam system, Pierce offers a wide variety of pump house configurations to meet any department's needs.

Custom dry side tankers feature:

• The full line of Pierce custom chassis
• A wide array of body compartment sizes 
• All the options available for dump valve, portable tank storage, mission-critical items on a tanker are available on this product 
• Several fire suppression options

See more custom dry side tanker features here. 

PUC Tanker

The Pierce PUC™ tanker is a groundbreaking evolution of the Pierce Ultimate Configuration pumper. The PUC tanker eliminates the pumphouse and removes the need to build the entire body around the pump. 

The PUC tanker features:

• An enclosed pump panel that keeps out grime, grit and moisture
• A 2,000 gpm pump with sure shift pump engagement
• Up to 3,000 gallon water tank to support fire suppression requirements
• More space for water-hauling potential and equipment storage

See the PUC tanker specifications now.

Finding the right tanker fire truck for your fire department starts by understanding the mission of the truck, the water capacity and storage requirements, and how the truck will be used strategically on the fire ground.

The new Pierce portfolio of tanker trucks is specifically designed to be flexible and offer a variety of add-on features to make the ideal, budget-appropriate apparatus for each unique department. Your dedicated Pierce dealer can help you walk through various tanker truck types and options to help you find the right water tanker for your needs. 

Learn more now about getting a new tanker through the Build My Pierce program. 

Find your local dealer now, or leave us a question below!