Tender vs. Tanker

OK, so this is a website dedicated to wildland firefighting... so, how many of you call a truck that carries water a tender vs. calling it a tanker?

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Permalink Reply by Aussie_Wildfire on December 29, 2008 at 10:31pm

I feel safe in her, she would be hard to beat. Halls Gap Tanker 1 is her radio sign.

Permalink Reply by Tony P on March 5, 2009 at 11:20pm

I'm spreading my wings. What do I find but two people I know from the general area are the only ones to have posted in the group! Not even the person who started it could put a 'seed' post in...

Anyway Mike, 'tanker' is the word here. But it's the word for two sorts of vehicles. Those that carry large quantities or water around so that the fire fighting vehicles can fill up which are known as 'water tankers' , and those that are firefighting vehicles (as shown in Wildfire's picture). But things can be confused still further if we talk about the career service that my Brigade butts onto - they have firefighting vehicles that they call a 'Water Tanker'. These last ones are on the disappearing list, the MFB are replacing them with Pumper-Tankers.

Now where are the 'Tenders'? They sit on airports, Foam Tenders for the ARFF. Or attached to the blunt end maybe of a large private yacht? Used to ferry people and supplies out to that vessel. I've just checked my dictionary, and see mentioned as the third meaning for the noun 'tender' - open truck attached to a steam engine, for carrying coal, water, etc..

Permalink Reply by PFC Harmon on March 7, 2009 at 10:13pm

In Tennessee we call everything a tanker. Unless it wont start then we call it something else........................

Permalink Reply by Daniel Scott Elsner on June 6, 2009 at 6:32pm

Same in my department.

Permalink Reply by Eric Hamlett on June 6, 2009 at 11:02pm

we call it a tanker.

Permalink Reply by DJ Easter on May 10, 2010 at 12:26pm

If it has wings, we call it a tanker. If you drive it, we call it a tender.

Permalink Reply by Jeff on May 11, 2010 at 3:52pm

acording to nims tankers are air planes and tenders are trucks

Permalink Reply by DJ Easter on May 11, 2010 at 7:01pm

Does Australia have an equivalent to NIMS?

Permalink Reply by Tony P on May 19, 2010 at 10:09pm

Yes, we follow our own version, called AIMS. It doesn't extend into what different types of vehicles are called though.

I've read a bit about your 'NIMS' and it's 'tender' definition. Seems to be very west coast oriented, with the eastern states sticking to what they've always called water transport vehicles, usually tanker? Haven't bulk liquid carriers traditionally been called 'tankers'? They have here.

In Australia, an onroad/offroad firefighting vehicle is known all over as some type of 'tanker'. In Victoria we have four types of Tanker; Ultra light, Light, Medium and Heavy. Bulk water carriers are water tankers. Aircraft used for firefighting are 'Water Bombers'.

Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on May 19, 2010 at 10:31pm

We recently purchased a used fuel-hauling truck. It was painted blue when we purchased it.
It carries fuel for my current department. It is painted red.

Apparently, red paint changes a "Fuel Tanker" (blue) into a "Fuel Tender" (red)

Our firefighters who drive the "Fuel Tender" and our two water-hauling "Tenders" have Commercial Driver's Licenses. They must get a "Tanker" endorsement with their CDL.

Nowhere does the state DMV or federal DOT have a "Tender" license to drive large tank trucks.

That brings up another point. Tanker trucks have water tanks, fuel tankers have fuel tanks, but water tenders don't have a water "tend" nor do fuel tenders have a fuel "tend". They have water and fuel "tanks".

The west coast nomenclature that was adopted by FIRESCOPE and NIMS is nonsensical.

Permalink Reply by Dick Johnson on May 20, 2010 at 10:53am

As a young member of the FS I worked at the Riverside Fire Lab and at times assisted the Firescope program. I remember being a fly on the wall during a discussion between many of the original agencies in Firescope about the confusion created when a "Fire Boss i.e. IC" ordered a tanker load and a vehicle drove up, when in fact what he wanted should have flown over. Hense after a long discussion the two terms that we use presently were agreed to.

Permalink Reply by charles on May 21, 2010 at 7:32pm