Our Fire Pumps
WATERAX is proud to continue its century-long tradition of designing, manufacturing and supporting high-performance and durable portable pumps suited to meet the most difficult water handling requirements.
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About
WATERAX
WATERAX has a long, proud and exciting history of moving water around the world. WATERAX originated as Watson Jack & Company, which was founded in 1898 by Montreal, Quebec native John Colquhoun Watson Jack. Born on August 19, 1870, Jack was a Canadian inventor, businessman and trail-blazer.
In 1904, shortly after founding Watson Jack & Company, John Colquhoun Watson Jack became an agent for Sprague Electric, Sprague Elevator and Otis Elevators. He diversified his business holdings and by 1910 Watson Jack & Company was trading in metals, dyestuffs, chemical boilers and electrical supplies. In 1925, Watson Jack & Company became the manufacturer of a powerful 200 PSI portable fire pump called the WAJAX (an acronym of Watson Jack’s name).
After Watson Jack & Company and its FH Hopkins subsidiary were acquired by BJ Coghlin & Company in 1954, the operations of the two newly acquired businesses were merged to form a single subsidiary. This subsidiary was called Watson Jack Hopkins Ltd. until 1959 when it was renamed Wajax Equipment Ltd.
In 1964, Wajax Equipment Ltd. purchased Pacific Marine’s fire division and its name was changed to Pacific Pumpers Inc. This merger made the Canadian company North America’s leading producer of wildland firefighting equipment, with an offering that included the MARK-3® pump.
Since the 1960s, the MARK-3® series has been the gold standard in performance, reliability and durability. The MARK-3® is the standard wildland portable fire pump trusted by forestry agencies around the world and a truly innovative Canadian success story. Between the 1980s and 2010s the company continued to transform, operating under different banners until it was incorporated into WATERAX in 2014. Based in Montreal, Quebec, today the company exports wildland firefighting equipment to over 50 countries around the world.
Product News
WATERAX News
Meet Nicole Wiebe – A Wildland Firefighter and MARK-3® Pump Pro!!
Introducing Nicole Wiebe: A former Wildland Firefighter turned artist, Nicole brings her unique blend of experience and creativity to our special project. With seven seasons spent battling wildfires across Ontario, Quebec, BC, Alberta, and Oregon, her dedication to...
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Articles
Wildfire Rips Through Wharton (NJ) State Forest
Jessica Schladebeck New York Daily News (TNS) Emergency crews on Wednesday were working to battle back a wildfire ripping through Wharton State Forest, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The blaze, dubbed the County Line Wildfire, was sparked sometime...
Corrosion Linked to New Fire Retardant Grounds Two Air Tankers as Forest Service Investigates
Two aerial firefighting jets have been sidelined due to corrosion believed to be caused by a recently approved fire retardant used by the U.S. Forest Service in 2023. Last year, two large air tankers deployed a magnesium chloride-based fire retardant while battling...
Firefighter, Forester, Trail Builder: The First US Climate Corps Jobs Are Here
Alicia Clanton Bloomberg News (TNS) Restoring coastal ecosystems with oysters in Florida, protecting forests from wildfire in California and maintaining a cultural site (the Pearl Harbor National Memorial) in Hawaii: These are a few of the paid positions that job...
Forest Service Seeks Safer, Smarter Way To Burn After Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon (NM) Fire
Maya Hilty - The Santa Fe New Mexican Apr. 21—As Brandon Glenn hiked through a light, open area of the Santa Fe National Forest northeast of the city Thursday morning, he paused and bent over a circle of burned earth about six feet in diameter, skimming the back of...
CO Looking at ‘Normal’ Wildfire Season As Long-Awaited Firehawk Helicopter Goes Into Service
Noelle Phillips - The Denver Post Colorado residents can expect a normal year for wildfires through July, but state officials on Wednesday warned that doesn’t mean there won’t be large, potentially catastrophic fires — especially later this summer and early fall as...
Communications Breakdown Left Authorities in the Dark and Residents Without Alerts Amid Maui (HI) Fire
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, REBECCA BOONE, CLAUDIA LAUER and CHRISTOPHER L. KELLER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — As unpredictable wildfires roared across Maui last August, the head of the emergency management agency dragged his heels about returning to the island...