We Move Water.

Our mission is to place powerful, precision engineered lightweight portable pumps into the hands of our wildland firefighters to move water to protect our forests and communities from the ravages of wildfires.

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.

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

WATERAX Pumps – Innovating for Wildland Firefighters

WATERAX Pumps – Innovating for Wildland Firefighters

The MARK-3 Watson Edition pump was developed through a collaborative process directly with the Front Line. A few years ago, WATERAX embarked on a mission to enhance our flagship product, the MARK-3 portable high-pressure fire pump. But we knew that to truly create a...

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Articles

Three Firefighters Killed in Turkish Firefighting Helicopter Crash

Three Firefighters Killed in Turkish Firefighting Helicopter Crash

ISTANBUL (AP) — Underwater teams are trying to recover a helicopter that crashed in a lake over the weekend, killing three crew members, while fighting a forest fire in western Turkey, state media reported Monday. Four crew members were aboard the firefighting...

The Hardest Part of Fighting Fire

The Hardest Part of Fighting Fire

No matter what position you hold on the fireline, you are going to have difficulties, challenges and even heartbreaks. When I was just starting out, I didn’t understand the crew dynamics and I found myself the target of some bullying. “Shut Up and Dig” is a story I...