Tenders or Tankers?

Be careful when you ask for tankers, specially from the USFS or BLM.

I had the experience of asking for them at a training class and ended up getting 3 air tankers instead of 3 water suply tenders.

If you ask for tankers youll probably get dumped on, and also have a huge bill for the taxpayers.

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Shadow

Nate is correct and his story brings back a fond memory. Two years ago I was a student in the S-330 class at the Annual Colorado Wildfire Academy. I had used the terminology of "tanker" (as they are known in the eastern U.S.)instead of "tender" and I was the subject of some good natured ribbing.

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DFCWINS

When you call for Tenders in Southern Indiana you will receive deep fried strips of chicken breast.

PS: Colonel Sanders was actually a Hoosier.

We use to have a Tender, water hauler, on our department. The unit has a small pump which can be used to fill or dump with. Unit is not used to fight fire, just transport water. Then the rest of the departments in the county desided that they needed super tankers, which could carry water and fight fire. Then our Central Dispatch got comfused, like many dispatch centers, and desided that all the units should be called tankers on the radio. After ten years it's hard to break a habit of calling our rig a Tender. A lot of the differences in names come from the different parts of the country. I think we should rename them: Portable Puddles, Mobil Valdez's, Water Haulers, Back Wash, Side Dumps, Nurse trucks, or just a good old Wet Nurses.

up here in upstate NY, we call the tankers or ETA (engine tanker) and they really are a big help at a sceen

On Long Island, any vehicle able to transport large volumes of water = TANKER