Rural Water Supply Readiness: Horseheads Town and Country Crews Train on Static Water Drafting

Horseheads, NY - Firefighters and apparatus operators with the Horseheads Town and Country Fire Department spent Tuesday evening honing advanced static drafting maneuvers, sharpening a fundamental rural firefighting competency needed to combat fires outside municipal water grids in Chemung County.

On September 15, department drivers and company members participated in an intensive training evolution designed to establish rapid, dependable water relays from open, non-pressurized water sources. The practical drill walked crews through connecting multiple rigid sections of hard suction hose fitted with a specialized intake strainer, coupling the assembly directly to an engine’s large-diameter steamer connection, and submerging the intake line into an open body of water.

Apparatus operators then engaged the rig’s pneumatic air primer to evacuate atmospheric air from the pump casing and suction sleeve, generating a vacuum that drew water up from the static source and into the engine's centrifugal pump for sustained fireground discharge.

Department officials highlighted that static drafting remains an indispensable operational skill across the Horseheads fire protection district, where extensive rural acreage lacks municipal fire hydrants and requires responding companies to rapidly establish their own high-volume water supply from ponds, streams, and portable dump tanks.