Re: Warwick gets its first fire hydrant. This may be the first “dry” fire hydrant, but not the first hydrant in town.
In the 1970s, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts installed a fire hydrant system at the Warwick Prison Camp.
This system had a dozen or so hydrants located throughout the complex. This system was fed from a nearby water supply, a pond, by a very large pump.
This system was used a couple of times for fire incidents at the camp, and the fire department was allowed to use it for fires in the area, which we did a few times.
The department was also allowed to use this system for drills, so that we knew how to use a fire hydrant when responding with mutual aid to a town with hydrants.
Sadly, this system closed down when the prison camp closed.
A. George Day Jr.
Fire Chief, retired
Warwick