Clearwater County along with the Wildlife Urban Interface (WUI) team, will soon be flying drones to collect data they hope will help them better prepare for potential wildfires moving forward.

Throughout the month of May, Clearwater County’s WUI team will be flying drones in the following areas.

• Nordegg
• West Country Subdivision
• North Saskatchewan River Park
• Echo Canyon
• Horburg
• Misty Valley
• Saunders
• Woodland Estates
• Pine Ridge

Clearwater officials say the data collected will be used for pre-planning in the event of an interface fire, adding it will expedite the planning process and thereby enable efficient response operations.

The WUI team noted, the ideal time to complete this mapping is after the snow melts and before trees are full of leaves, so images taken show the different wildland fuels before the leaves cover the understory.

You can expect to see a Clearwater County drone between May 1 to 31 (weather permitting), and with potential to be extended depending on fullness of leaves and trees.
If you have additional questions, contact Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services at fireadmin@clearwatercounty.ca.