There is a "new" concept entering the fire apparatus world, the vacuum tanker. I'm using the term "new", loosely because any of us familiar with the oil field know about vacuum trucks. As a matter of fact, back in my younger days in West Texas, we commandeered vacuum trucks to supply water for large pasture and cotton burr fires.

Vacuum tankers take the tried and tested concept of the vacuum pump to fill and discharge water, and marry it to an NFPA compliant chassis, specifically built for the fire service and can include a fire pump. For many rural departments that already have dwindling memberships and tight budgets, the vacuum tanker can be one way to do more with less.

At a conventional water supply fill site, ( pond, stream, dry hydrant, etc) a department will tie up a pumper, and possibly manpower, which could be used at the fire, to fill tankers. Pumpers are limited in the distance they can be away from the water in order to achieve or maintain a draft. The suction hose connections must remain air tight or you will loose your draft and water supply.

With a vacuum tanker, basically one man can set up and supply water. The limitations of distance to the static water source are only dependent on the amount of hard suction you are able to deploy. Getting water does not depend on airtight connections, and it has been documented that two different sizes of hard suction were duct taped together and water was still able to be provided. Most fill rates average 1250gpm or better.

Utilizing a tanker shuttle? Anyone who uses conventional tankers knows when making turns, or sudden stops, water spills from the overflow. Vacuum tankers are a closed system. there is no spillage. At the dump tank or portable pond, a conventional tanker usually relies on gravity to dump. A few may have a jet dump to speed up the flow of water. But as the level in the water tank drops the pressure of the flow drops, slowing the dump time. A vacuum tanker can overcome this problem. It can be utilized to dump by gravity, or the tank can be pressurized which cuts the dump time almost in half, and the flow rate is not affected.

Depending on how a tanker is configured, Utilizing a conventional tanker in a nurse operation, necessitates using a fire pump to pressure the water to the pumper. A vacuum tanker is able to nurse utilizing the vacuum pump, and even though there may be a fire pump installed, the tank pressurization is usually more efficient.

The cost factor is another consideration smaller departments look at. Surprisingly enough, there is not much difference in the cost of a conventional tanker and a vacuum tanker. Many of the differences come from the options added or removed just as in any apparatus. Also just as in any apparatus, there are many, many different companies which build this type of equipment. This is the one area where a department must be vigilant. Ensure that the builder follows NFPA 1901. The specifications spelled out during the bidding process, and closely examined during the intermediate and final inspections can mean the difference between being able to utilize the apparatus when needed, or constantly having to put it in the shop.

There is no such thing as a "one size fits all" apparatus, and a vacuum tanker will not fit everybody's particular department operations or conditions. But this "new" kid on the block just might make the difference between not having enough resources at the fire, waiting for water to have the resources, or being able to do both.