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Tanker / Bulk Water Carrier

Flinders Chase Tanker appliance Murraylands BW6 appliance

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 26,000 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. Tankers or BWC's carry a variety of equipment, depending on individual brigade requirements.

Equipment carried by a Tanker may include:

Additional equipment may be carried, and may include:

Please Note: The above information is provided as an example of a typical appliance of this type. Actual equipment and configuration of appliances may vary to suit requirements of the station to which it belongs.