Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department's new $500,000 water tender has an operating life of 20 to 25 years. (Nick Acciavatti)

By Jordan Davidson

more water

Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department debuts new, larger capacity water truck

Mar 14, 2023 | 5:31 AM

NANAIMO — The Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department (DVFD) is excited to test out its new water tender truck.

The $500,000 single-axle vehicle was recently purchased to replace their current tender which has reached the end of its life cycle.

Fire chief Nick Acciavatti said this truck amps up their firefighting capabilities by carrying 500 more gallons of water compared to their previous vehicle.

“Having the extra capacity on the water tenders allows us to have a little more wiggle room when we are doing our initial set-up so we can provide a better service to areas that don’t have fire hydrants.”

He said this new water tender will not only be able to get more water to where it needs to go but can also act as a fire engine due to its larger pump and water capacity.

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Money for the new vehicle was saved up over the years as part of their Capital Vehicle Replacement Plan, where a portion of their budget is put aside each year for future upgrades.

“We’ve been able to save up the money and build up the reserve slowly over these years, so we know exactly what year each truck needs to be replaced, what equipment needs to be replaced so there’s really no hiccups to anything that comes up.”

This purchase was made possible through a partnership between the Regional District of Nanaimo, the DVFD, and the DVFD Society.

It will serve the Dashwood community as well as neighbouring areas when mutual aid is requested.

“I think we’re all pretty excited to get a new vehicle in the fleet, and have the extra capacity and the larger pump, and some options for our firefighters that makes a big difference for our ease of use. Be able to serve the community better.”

The original water tender was purchased in 1997.

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