How are tenders commonly unloaded during fire operations?

When fire apparatus operators are unloading tenders during fire operations, they typically do so by dumping the water into portable tanks. This method is efficient and effective for quickly transferring large volumes of water to the scene, especially in rural or areas lacking sufficient hydrant coverage. Portable tanks can hold significant amounts of water, allowing them to serve as a reservoir for firefighting efforts.

Using a hydrant is not applicable here since tenders are designed to transport water to areas where hydrant access may be limited. A hose reel is more suited for deploying water directly to the fire rather than managing bulk water transfer, and siphoning into a pumper involves a more complex process primarily used for refilling or transferring water rather than straightforward unloading. Thus, dumping into portable tanks not only provides quick access to water but also keeps operations streamlined and organized at the incident scene.