January 5, 2023, Redwood Meadows, AB – The team at Redwood Meadows Emergency Services (RMES) had a special delivery during the holiday season that will undoubtedly help the team in several different ways moving forward.

A local resident donated a drone with infrared capabilities and accessories worth almost $10,000 to RMES over the holidays. Fire Chief Rob Evans said, “We are so grateful for the contribution to our equipment inventory and while the generosity of the donation has to be recognized, we do want to respect the request for anonymity by the resident.”

The new drone, or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), will be flown by members of RMES that are currently registered pilots with Transport Canada.

Evans said, “There are several situations where the RPAS will be able to be used, including at fires to determine hot spots, search and rescue, reconnaissance and much more.

“Having worked on with the RPAS committee with the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs on the production of its 'Blue Book', I am excited to see how we can use this tool to benefit our community and how we provide public safety to the residents.”

RMES will be producing operating guidelines for the RPAS that will include training, flight and maintenance logs and the unit should be in service by the end of January.

About RMES

RMES is comprised of 32 volunteers that protect the Townsite of Redwood Meadows and parts of Rocky View County, including Bragg Creek, Tsuut’ina Nation, and Kananaskis Improvement District. The department responded to 389 calls for service in 2022 that included medical first response, rescues, fires, hazardous materials calls and more. The department enters its 45th year proud to serve the community and continually strives to be one of the best.