23-05-2025
Aurora business owner launches drone-based wildfire mitigation service
AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — An Aurora business owner has a new approach to wildfire mitigation: Preventing wildfires with the help of drones.
He's hoping to help communities and homeowners get ahead of annual fires. The drone is used to perform aerial surveys, monitor vegetation growth and identify potential fuel hazards.
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The goal is to help homeowners better understand their land and all of the wildfire risk factors from above.
'Just knowing living here for the past 40 years, what our wildfire situation has become and wildfire seasons year-round,' said Mike Curta, owner of Rocky Mountain UAV Industries.
He decided to turn to the skies to get ahead of future devastation.
'I sure think people would benefit of having an overview of their property,' he said.
Curta says drones are a good source for identifying hazards.
'We look at the trees: are they overgrowing on the property too much? Do you have defensible spaces? We provide them at the end of the flight with a USB with all their photos on it. The basic flight is about 18 photos or so. Every angle of their house, spreading out from their homes. So they encompass at least 150 ft around their home in all directions so they can see exactly what vegetation is out there,' said Curta.
He says the need for an aerial view is increasing.
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The drone has a 4K camera capturing aerial imaging and detailed visual documentation for people to access risk areas, track changes over time, and make informed decisions to protect your property, infrastructure and natural landscapes.
'Wildfire preparation starts long before the smoke is seen. If you wait until you see the smoke before getting ready, it's too late, folks, you've got to go. So, it's important you take the steps now,' said Curta. 'With the wildfire situation being the way it is, and the Marshall Fire. Every year we have worse and worse fires. The more you can do to protect your home, the better off you are. I don't want to see anyone get their insurance canceled. There's been issues with that concerning overgrowth of trees and things like that. So, that's some of the things we look at.'
A few days after the drone flight, the company sends a written record of what they observed and will give basic fire mitigation tips. For more information, you can head over to Rocky Mountain UAV Industries' website or give them a call at 303-903-4809.
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