Look Up and Live! New online map displays overhead powerlines and safety resources

Medicine Hat – It’s now easier to be safe around powerlines with the City of Medicine Hat’s new Look Up and Live! webmap.

Building on the work of the joint Utility Safety Partners (USP) initiative, Look Up and Live, this interactive map displays the location of overhead lines in Medicine Hat.

At medicinehat.ca/lookupandlive, users can zoom to their location or search for a specific address to locate any overhead wires near their home or jobsite. Clicking a line segment brings up easy-to-understand mapping features and quick links to important safety tools like the Guidelines for Working in Proximity to Powerlines or the form to request an Electric Proximity Safety Plan.

“With over 350 km of overhead primary lines, there’s a good chance you might encounter them on your next project – whether trimming trees in your back yard, moving equipment or starting a new construction job,” said Josh Reimer, Superintendent of Field Services with the City’s Utility Distribution Systems department. “This tool lets you know if there’s dangerous wires nearby and what steps you should take next.”

Residents can locate the map on any of the utility safety pages on the City’s website or at medicinehat.ca/maps. 

The webmap aligns with the City's intent to share more, not less.

“Particularly with maps and geospatial data, we’re opening up access to as much content as we can, and we’re continuing to build more,” added Mike Tulis, Senior GIS Analyst with the City of Medicine Hat.

The City’s Maps and GIS webpage includes the Capital Projects Map, Construction and Closures Map, Alberta Flood Maps, Crime Map, and story maps that showcase cultural or historic points of interest. The City’s iMap shows parks and trails, garbage zones, schools, neighbourhood boundaries, and even the location of park benches, sidewalk sand boxes and water bottle fill stations.

Reimer notes that the Look Up and Live! map does not replace established safety measures when working around electrical infrastructure. 

“If you are going to be working within seven metres of a powerline, you still need to apply for an Electrical Proximity Safety Plan. We’re just making it easier to access those tools when you’re reviewing the location of lines on the map. Our entire goal is to keep you, and those around you, safe.”

The Look Up and Live! map only identifies overhead lines. There are approximately 350 km of buried electrical wires in Medicine Hat. Anyone performing a ground disturbance for underground work must still submit a locate request at Utility Safety Partners at least five working days in advance of the project.

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media@medicinehat.ca