A portable water tank is a collapsible temporary tank designed for the reserve storage of water in firefighting, emergency relief, and military applications. These tanks can be either supported or unsupported. The supported tanks have a steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 or aluminum frame and range in size from 600 to 5000 US gallons

Gallon

The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...

 or larger by custom design. Portable water tanks are also unsupported such as self supporing tanks (onion tanks), blivets and pillow or bladder tanks and are available in sizes ranging from 100 gallons (378.5 l) up to 80000 gallons (302,833 l). The frame supported tank,for use in rural firefighting, is fully documented to have been invented in the early 1950s by Fol-Da-Tank Co. founder Giles Eldred, Rock Island,IL. Fol-Da-Tank Co.'s first patent for a spillway on the folding tank was applied for in 1954 and a patent for the "Float Dock" floating strainer for firefighting was applied for in 1955. Both patents were awarded in time. These products may be viewed at http://www.fol-da-tank.com
These products and many others have been supplied to the US Forest Service since the 1950s through distributors like Wajax, now known as Wildfire Equipment. http://www.wildfire-equipment.com

Usage/Deployment

It is primarily used in rural areas where fire hydrants are not available. They are carried on water tenders

Water tender

A water tender, also known as a tanker in some regions, is a specialized firefighting apparatus designed for transporting water from a water source to a fire scene...

 and are deployed at the scene of a fire

Fire

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

 during a shuttle operation. A portable water tank is usually set up near or front of an attack engine.
, or possibly next to an supply engine. . This enables tenders to quickly drop off their load of water

Water

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

 and return to the fill site as soon as possible. They are designed to be set up in around a half-minute with two firefighters.The engine may then use suction hose

Hard suction hose

Hard suction hose is a specific type of fire hose used in drafting operations, when a fire engine uses a vacuum to draw water from a portable water tank, pool, or other static water source. It is built to withstand vacuum, rather than pressure, abrasion, and heat...

 to draft

Drafting

Drafting or draughting may refer to:* Campdrafting, an Australian equestrian sport* Drafting , slipstreaming* Technical drawing, the act and discipline of composing diagrams that communicates how something functions or is to be constructed. E.g.:** Architectural drawing** Electrical drawing**...

 the water in the tank.

See also

• Glossary of firefighting equipment
  Glossary of firefighting equipment
  - A :* Adapter: plumbing accessories for connecting hoses and pipes of incompatible diameter, thread, or gender. See also reducer, increaser, double male, double female, water thief. May contain combinations, such as a double-female reducer...
  
  
• Drafting
  Drafting
  Drafting or draughting may refer to:* Campdrafting, an Australian equestrian sport* Drafting , slipstreaming* Technical drawing, the act and discipline of composing diagrams that communicates how something functions or is to be constructed. E.g.:** Architectural drawing** Electrical drawing**...
  
  
• Fire hydrant
  Fire hydrant
  A fire hydrant , is an active fire protection measure, and a source of water provided in most urban, suburban and rural areas with municipal water service to enable firefighters to tap into the municipal water...
  
  
• Hard suction hose
  Hard suction hose
  Hard suction hose is a specific type of fire hose used in drafting operations, when a fire engine uses a vacuum to draw water from a portable water tank, pool, or other static water source. It is built to withstand vacuum, rather than pressure, abrasion, and heat...
  
  
• Water tank
  Water tank
  A Water tank is a container for storing water. The need for a water tank is as old as civilized man, providing storage of water for drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemical manufacturing, food preparation as well as many...
  
  

External links

• http://www.fol-da-tank.com
• http://www.wildfire-environmental.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=6070&category_id=10&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26
• http://www.fire-end.com/Tank.htm