Photo: Saddle Hills County · CC BY-SA 4.0Saddle Hills County’s hazards at a glance: a moderate wildfire record and 8.9% of area homes over the radon guideline
The burn rate around Saddle Hills County is 0.11% a year (4.3% of the land within 25 km since 1986), a moderate band. Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.014 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Saddle Hills County grades B+ for hazard risk, with wildfire counted against it.
What stands out about Saddle Hills County’s hazards
For Saddle Hills County, from NRCan’s seismic model, Health Canada’s radon survey, the national burned-area record and the flood map inventory.
What Saddle Hills County faces
Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Radon
Flood study
Hazard risk in Saddle Hills County: B+
Two inputs always count for Saddle Hills County, earthquakes and radon; the third, wildfire, counts only against a town.
How sure: The seismic figure is a long-run average from NRCan’s model, not a prediction. The burned-area record misses fires under about 10 ha and most grass and farm fires.
Some fire around Saddle Hills County: 4.3% of the land within 25 km since 1986, 0.2% within 5 km
Fires mapped since 1986 around where Saddle Hills County’s residents live, and the fuel next to their homes.
At 0.11% of the land a year, Saddle Hills County’s burn rate is moderate; the typical Canadian town sees 0.000%.
17% of the land within 5 km of Saddle Hills County is forest fuel, close to the 13% within 25 km.
Shares of land within 5 and 25 km of populated blocks: burned at least once in 1986–2025 (CWFIS burned-area composite), forest fuel and grass (fire behaviour fuel types, 2026, 250 m grid).
Burn rate a year, towns in Alberta · highest of 479
The land around Saddle Hills County burns at 0.11% a year, the 25th highest rate of 479 towns in Alberta; Wainwright tops it at 1.43%.
Each bar: the yearly average share of land within 25 km of a town’s homes that burned, 1986–2025 (CWFIS); the seven highest towns of 2,500 people or more.
Moderate puts Saddle Hills County above most of Canada’s 2,610 towns, yet 2.1% rank high or very high and 5.4% share its band.
Bands of the yearly burn rate: low under 0.05%, moderate under 0.25%, high under 1%, very high 1% or more; towns of 2,500 people or more.
Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: National Burned Area Composite 1986–2025 and fire behaviour fuel types (2026), Natural Resources Canada. Measured within 25 km and 5 km of each populated dissemination area; past fire, not a forecast.
The flood map inventory lists nothing for Saddle Hills County
Flood studies whose area touches Saddle Hills County, from NRCan’s inventory, each linked to its owner.
Nationally, Saddle Hills County has no listed flood study; the municipality is the place to ask.
Towns with a flood study on file
Saddle Hills County has no flood study on file; only 46% of towns in Alberta do, against 58% across Canada.
NRCan Canada Flood Map Inventory: a study footprint touching the town’s boundary; towns of 2,500 people or more.
The grade leaves flood out, since a study area says nothing about how many of Saddle Hills County’s homes are at risk.
The inventory’s own caution (NRCan): “The Canada Flood Map (CFM) does not include every flood hazard map in Canada and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. It should not be relied upon as the official source of flood mapping information. Furthermore, if a map appears to be missing, this does not necessarily mean that the area has never been mapped. For the official version of a map, updated information, or confirmation of applicable regulations, please contact the local authority responsible for flood mapping.”
Little shaking expected in Saddle Hills County: $0.014 a year per $1,000
NRCan’s seismic risk model: the damage shaking is expected to do to buildings each year, on average over many years.
0.5 times the typical $0.030: Saddle Hills County’s $0.014 is low for Canada.
Shaking damage a year per $1,000 of building value
Shaking damage around Saddle Hills County runs at $0.014 a year, near the $0.013 of the typical town in Alberta; Black Diamond has $0.048.
NRCan seismic risk model (2022): mean yearly building loss per $1,000 of value; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Saddle Hills County is in the lower part of Canada’s range for earthquake risk; 73% of the 2,611 towns are higher.
Each column: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more in that range of yearly loss per $1,000 (NRCan, 2022).
For Saddle Hills County the model prices shaking damage to buildings, nothing more.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model (2022), by census subdivision (2016 boundaries; a few 2021 subdivisions take their residents’ mean).
Radon about average around Saddle Hills County: 8.9% over the guideline
Health Canada’s survey of long-term home tests: the share above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline.
At 8.9% over the guideline, the area around Saddle Hills County is about level with the typical Canadian town’s 6.6%. For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Peace Country Health, Saddle Hills County included.
Tested homes over 200 Bq/m³
Over 600 Bq/m³
Ordinary for towns in Alberta at 8.9% over 200 Bq/m³ (7.5% is the median), the area around Saddle Hills County had 1% over 600.
Health Canada radon survey (2009–2011), by 2007 health region; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
A middling share of high tests puts Saddle Hills County with 37% of Canada’s 2,611 towns, below 26% of them.
Each bar: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more whose survey area had that share of tests over 200 Bq/m³.
Whatever Saddle Hills County’s area share, the reading that matters is your own home’s, over a winter.
Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011).
Where to get warnings in Saddle Hills County
Environment and Climate Change Canada issues the weather alerts for Saddle Hills County; Alert Ready carries the urgent ones to phones, radio and TV.
| Alert | What it means |
|---|---|
| Warning | Severe weather is happening or about to: act now. |
| Watch | Conditions favour severe weather: be ready. |
| Advisory | Weather that is less severe but could disrupt the day. |
| Special weather statement | Unusual weather worth knowing about. |
| Special air quality statement | Poor air, often wildfire smoke. |
For fires near Saddle Hills County, the national fire information system maps danger and active fires daily; local authorities give any evacuation order.
Weather alerts (ECCC) · Alert Ready · Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Get ready for what Saddle Hills County faces
What to do about the hazards Saddle Hills County faces, and what to ask before you buy.
- Clear needles and wood nearby.
- Keep a grab-and-go bag ready.
- In smoke, stay in; filter air.
- Test for three months in winter.
- Over 200 Bq/m³: fix it.
- Kits are cheap; pros test too.
- Never drive through floodwater.
- Move papers and medicines upstairs.
- Ask whether your street is mapped.
- Has it had a radon test?
- Ask the municipality for flood maps.
- How close is the forest edge?
- Are flood and wildfire insured?
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Radon is a survey. Radon figures pool the survey’s home tests by area: postal areas once their boundaries arrive, the 2007 health region around Saddle Hills County until then.
- Flood studies aren’t flood zones. Flood studies cover areas of every size, which is why the page lists them for Saddle Hills County without grading them.
- Wildfire counts one way. Burned land within 25 km of where people live, averaged over 1986–2025 and checked for fuel near homes, is the measure; it looks back, not ahead, and only ever counts against Saddle Hills County.
- Earthquakes are modelled. The earthquake figure is an expected loss, not a forecast, worked out by NRCan for each census subdivision, Saddle Hills County’s included.
Questions about flooding and hazards in Saddle Hills County
Is Saddle Hills County at risk of wildfire?
Fire has reached 4.3% of the land around Saddle Hills County since 1986 (last in 2025); at moderate, it neither helps nor hurts the grade.
Is radon a problem in Saddle Hills County?
Around Saddle Hills County, 203 survey homes were tested and 8.9% came in over 200 Bq/m³, a guide to the area, not to any one home.
Does Saddle Hills County flood?
With 0 studies on the inventory, Saddle Hills County’s flood risk is unmapped nationally; check with the municipality before buying.
How big is the earthquake risk in Saddle Hills County?
Expected earthquake damage in Saddle Hills County comes to $0.014 a year for each $1,000 that buildings are worth.
How is Saddle Hills County’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?
Saddle Hills County’s Hazard risk grade is B+, built on earthquakes and radon with a one-sided wildfire input.
Seismic risk: Natural Resources Canada. Radon: Health Canada. Wildfire: Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Flood studies: Natural Resources Canada, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Sources: NRCan, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model 2022 · Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes · CWFIS, National Burned Area Composite and FBP fuel types · NRCan, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).