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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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
Updated Tech for Fighting Wildfires
Updated portable water pumps could help wildland firefighters move faster and fight blazes more efficiently. Dilshad Burman gets a first-hand look at the new tech.
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Articles
Forest Service, Logging Industry Spar over Management of Black Hills (SD) National Forest
Darsha Dodge - Rapid City Journal, S.D. Mar. 14—At a roundtable event March 2 in Spearfish, South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), grilled officials with the U.S. Forest Service for answers on the recent harvesting...
Apply for Canned Drinking Water to Keep Your Crew Hydrated This Wildfire Season
Hydration is key to the health and safety of wildland firefighters. However, many volunteer fire departments have limited budgets, making it difficult to purchase all the provisions their firefighters need, such as a sufficient supply of drinking water. To help combat...
These 11 CA Counties Are Most at Risk for Wildfires, FEMA Map Shows. Here’s Where
Angela Rodriguez - The Modesto Bee Mar. 13—California is no stranger to wildfires — and some regions are more at risk than others. While most wildfires occur between April and October, "California faces the risk of wildfires all year now" due to the warmer and drier...
Congress Heads Off Wildland Firefighter Pay Cuts – At Least Temporarily
Congress approved a funding deal to maintain current pay levels for federal wildland firefighters through the remainder of the fiscal year, ending September 30. In 2021, wildland firefighter pay was temporarily increased by $20,000 or 50%. but that raise was set to...
Wildfire Detection Sensors to Be Deployed on Maui and Around HI
Kacie Yamamoto - The Honolulu Star-Advertiser Mar. 9—The fire sensor technology, which was developed by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the U.S. Fire Administration in partnership with small business N5 Sensors Inc., will be...
Officials: Power Lines Ignited Largest Wildfire in TX History
Power lines ignited massive wildfires across the Texas Panhandle that destroyed homes and killed thousands of livestock, officials said Thursday