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
Mark-3 Testing: Ease of Pull-Start
By Gary Da Silva Product Manager at WATERAX. Expert in market needs and product capability. In a survey on the aspects of the MARK-3® pump that needed improvement, ease of start was the second most requested improvement after weight reduction. Many firefighters...
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Articles
Wildland Firefighter Killed by Falling Tree in OR Big Swamp Fire
OAKRIDGE, Ore. (AP) — A firefighter who was hit by a falling tree while battling a wildfire near Oakridge, Oregon has died of his injuries, authorities said Thursday. Collin Hagan, who was with the Craig Interagency Hot Shots from Colorado, died Wednesday of injuries...
National Park Service Fire Lookout, 74, Killed When McKinney (CA) Fire Overruns Her
Kathy Shoopman, 74, the Buckhorn fire lookout at the Klamath National Forest died Friday in the McKinney fire. Shoopman began her service as a fire lookout in 1974 and served faithfully to the end. Even as sheriff’s deputies and her supervisor urged her to evacuate,...
‘Gone in 30 Seconds’ – Shingle Springs (CA) Loses Two Rigs in Wildfire at Six Rivers National Forest
The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Tribal Fire Department lost two rigs when fire burning at Six Rivers National Forest overran the vehicles Monday. The crew from El Dorado County had parked the rigs what they thought was a safe distance from the fire, but a...
Deadly CA Wildfire Wipes Out Scenic River Town
By HAVEN DALEY and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) — Roger Derry, 80, and his son have lived together in the tiny scenic hamlet of Klamath River in Northern California for more than 40 years. They know most of the town's 200 or so...
Western Flames Spread, CA Sees Its Largest 2022 Fire
By NOAH BERGER Associated Press YREKA, Calif. (AP) — Crews battling the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for additional fire growth Sunday as they sought to protect remote...
Chief: Bottle-Magnified Sunlight Ignited Possum Kingdom (TX) Fire
By TERRY WALLACE Associated Press Sunlight magnified by glass bottles in an open garbage can ignited paper trash, starting a 500-acre (200-hectare) North Texas wildfire that destroyed five homes, fire officials said Thursday. The July 18 fire on Possum Kingdom Lake's...
