Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is strengthening its heavy vehicle emergency response capability with three new Bulk Water Transfer units, part of a $3.89 million investment in specialist pumping systems and transport vehicles.
The Hytrans systems are being based at Bangalow in the Northern Rivers, Molong in the Central West and Albury on the NSW–Victoria border, providing regional deployment points for major fires and floods.
Each unit can pump 8,000 litres a minute and carries one kilometre of hose, allowing crews to supply firefighting operations from distant water sources. The mobile pumping and hose-deployment equipment can also pump water from up to 60 metres underground.
For FRNSW, the trucks provide the transport platform for a specialist capability that can be deployed wherever large volumes of water need to be moved.
Moving water to fires — and away from communities
The Bulk Water Transfer systems serve two distinct emergency roles: delivering water to fire scenes and removing floodwater from inundated streets and communities.
The equipment demonstrated its flood response capability in Kempsey, where units helped clear the main streets during the Mid-North Coast floods in May last year.
An earlier model was also used at the large Kurri Kurri factory fire in November 2021, pumping water over a kilometre to supply fire trucks at the scene.
These operations highlight the role of support vehicles in keeping frontline appliances working when water access becomes a constraint.
Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the new units would strengthen the ability of FRNSW to assist other services during major emergencies.
“These units strengthen the ability of Fire and Rescue NSW to support other services and communities during major floods and fires,” Mr Dib said.
“If fire or flooding events occur anywhere in NSW, these units can be made available to help local communities.”
Specialist equipment backed by trained crews
FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said crews were completing training with the new systems, with the three regional bases supporting faster deployment.
“Our crews are in the final stages of training with the new Bulk Water Transfer units,” Commissioner Fewtrell said.
“With three new systems now covering the state, we can speed up their deployment during emergencies.”
He said FRNSW was the only Australian fire service equipped with the technology. An additional module provides greater water-moving capacity for the largest incidents.
“We have an additional module that allows us to disperse 50,000 litres a minute during the most significant emergencies,” he said.
“Stored in metal boxes on the back of trucks, they’re not pretty to look at but they’re worth their weight in gold when disaster strikes.”
For heavy vehicle fleet operators, the investment illustrates how a truck’s operational value can be defined by the equipment it carries. In this application, the transport vehicle, pumping system, hose capacity and crew training combine to deliver a mobile emergency resource.
Positioning those assets across regional NSW brings that capability closer to communities, while retaining the flexibility to support incidents elsewhere in the state.
