A new dry hydrant has been installed on Renegade Mountain according to a post by Chris Jenkins on the Westel Daysville Ozone Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page.
According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, dry hydrants are non-pressurized pipe systems that draft water from an adjacent body of water such as a pond or stream. One end of the pipe system is situated in the water source, and the other end is available near the roadside, where firefighters can connect to the hydrant and pump from the water source.
Renegade’s new dry hydrant will allow fire trucks to refill on top of the mountain instead of going all the way back down to fill with water.
Cumberland County Fire & Rescue used Westel’s truck to test the operation of the hydrant.
Last November a wildfire destroyed two condos on Renegade. There were no injuries and firefighters battled to keep the flames from spreading. Because of their efforts and multiple responding agencies, the fire was 100 percent contained that same day.