Philippines BFP water delivery fire truck HOWO

The Philippines BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection) chose China's POWERSTAR TRUCKS as its fire truck supplier. POWERSTAR TRUCKS provides a complete after-sales network in the Philippines, including spare parts supply and fast maintenance services, to ensure the long-term and efficient operation of the vehicle.

The 5000L HOWO water tank fire truck provided by POWERSTAR TRUCKS has significant advantages in price and maintenance costs. It is more economical than similar products in Europe and the United States and meets the budget requirements of the modernization and upgrading of the Philippines' firefighting. The vehicle is equipped with a 266-horsepower engine and an optimized cooling system for high temperature and high humidity environments to ensure stable operation in extreme weather of 45°C in the Philippines.

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In the tropical island country of the Philippines, the challenge of fire safety is always closely linked to the unique geographical environment. This country consisting of more than 7,000 islands faces natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes all year round. In addition, the dense wooden structure buildings in the process of urbanization make efficient firefighting equipment a rigid demand. In 2025, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of the Philippines reached a strategic cooperation with POWERSTAR TRUCKS, a well-known Chinese special vehicle manufacturer, to purchase 5000L water tank fire trucks (also known as 5-cubic-meter water tank trucks or HOWO WTC5000) built on the HOWO chassis in batches. This move will significantly enhance the Philippines' rapid response capabilities to sudden fires.

1. Tailor-made firefighting solutions: 5000L HOWO water tank fire truck ‌

This fire truck designed specifically for the Philippines is based on the Sinotruk HOWO 4x2 Class II chassis and is equipped with a 266-horsepower diesel engine. It can adapt to the complex road conditions of the Philippines with many mountains and islands. Its core components include:

CB10/60 fire pump ‌: 6,000 liters of water supply per minute to meet the needs of high-intensity firefighting

PS40W fire cannon ‌: 40 meters range can cover the fire source of high-rise buildings

5 cubic meter water tank ‌ (i.e. 5,000 liters): can operate independently for 30 minutes in water-scarce areas

Modular equipment compartment ‌: can load emergency rescue equipment such as demolition tools and medical equipment

In the Philippines, this model is often called "5-cubic meter tanker" or "HOWO water cannon truck". Its highly recognizable red paint and eye-catching warning lights have become a symbol of urban safety.

2. Practical application scenarios in tropical island countries ‌

Firefighting in densely populated urban areas ‌

The streets in large cities such as Manila and Cebu are narrow, and traditional large fire trucks are difficult to maneuver. The 9-meter turning radius of HOWO 5000L can quickly reach the fire scene, and its water tank capacity is sufficient to suppress the initial fire and buy time for subsequent reinforcements.

Typhoon season emergency rescue ‌

During the typhoon season from June to November each year, the vehicle can be converted into a "mobile water supply station" to provide clean drinking water to the affected communities, and the PS40W water cannon can also be used to flush silt-blocked roads.

Island special service mission ‌

Vehicles equipped with a reinforced suspension system can be transported to tourist destinations such as Palawan and Boracay by ferry to solve the problem of insufficient local fire hydrant coverage. The lesson of the rescue delay due to water shortage in the Boracay hotel fire in 2024 directly promoted this procurement plan.

Forest fire prevention and control ‌

For the mountainous forest areas in northern Luzon Island, the version equipped with off-road tires can cooperate with helicopters to hoist water to form a three-dimensional fire extinguishing network.

3. Strategic considerations behind procurement ‌

BFP's large-scale equipment of Chinese-made fire trucks stems from three practical needs:

Cost-effectiveness advantage ‌: The price of a single unit is 30% lower than similar products in Europe and the United States, and the maintenance cost is only 60% of that of Japanese models

Localized adaptation ‌: POWERSTAR provides tropical cooling system modification, and the engine can withstand a high temperature environment of 45°C

Deepening China-Philippines cooperation ‌: The "Philippine National Emergency Command Center" built with Chinese assistance requires standardization of the equipment system

According to the assessment of the BFP technical department, after this batch of vehicles is put into service, the fire response time in the Manila metropolitan area can be shortened from the current 12 minutes to 8 minutes, reaching the advanced level of ASEAN countries.

4. Future technological evolution direction ‌

New energy transformation ‌

It is expected that the electric chassis version will be piloted before 2028, using the Philippines' abundant geothermal power generation resources to achieve zero emissions. At present, POWERSTAR is developing lithium iron phosphate battery packs suitable for tropical climates.

Smart IoT upgrade ‌

Add 5G modules and fire identification systems, and in the future, the optimal water supply route can be automatically planned through satellite images, and data can be exchanged with the Philippines' "Disaster Warning Cloud Platform".

Multifunctional expansion ‌

The modular design allows for quick switching of equipment modules, such as converting it into a drainage vehicle in the rainy season and using it as an agricultural irrigation vehicle in the dry season, thereby improving equipment utilization.

Localized production ‌

According to the Philippines' "Fire Modernization Outline 2024-2030", the next phase will be to establish an assembly plant in Batangas Province through technology transfer, creating 200 jobs.