A technique for providing a water pumping system suitable for fighting wildfire, flood mediation, sewage transport, and the like is revealed. The system includes an internal combustion engine, a CVT with an input shaft and an output shaft, and a pump with an axial flow impeller. In one variation, multiple impeller stages are used and/or several systems are daisy-chained to provide for suitable delivery of water from its source. In another form, the system is carried by an all-terrain vehicle, side-by-side, or the like, to reach remote areas that need to move water to address a hazardous condition.