Watch Duty Launches Across Western U.S. to Provide Real-Time Wildfire Tracker and Alert System for Local Residents

A year after its California-wide launch, the popular nonprofit app expands its coverage throughout the Western U.S. to deliver a more timely and trustworthy way to convey critical information about wildfires as they develop.

HEALDSBURG, Calif., May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Watch Duty, the only app that provides real-time wildfire information, today announced that it is expanding its coverage areas throughout the Western United States. Any interested individual can download the app for free on the App Store, Google Play or at watchduty.org.

Already live across the State of California, Watch Duty provides real-time alerts and continued expert reporting for local residents in areas impacted by fast-moving and unpredictable wildfires. Watch Duty delivers these critical updates, all of which are fully vetted by an expert team of current and former firefighters and first responders, retired dispatchers and reporters, faster than any other available channel or forum. This allows impacted residents to make informed decisions during stressful and uncertain times, when official notices often take exponentially longer, if they appear at all.

"Wildfires don't wait for bureaucracy: the majority of fatalities occur within the first hour of a fire, meaning every second counts," said John Mills, co-founder and CEO at Watch Duty. "We built Watch Duty to give people who live in wildfire-prone areas a more timely and trustworthy option for receiving critical updates as quickly as possible. When there's a wildfire in or near your area, you'll receive an update directly to your phone, within minutes, and without having to mine through various community groups on Facebook, Twitter or other mass forums, which often contain dated and/or dubious information."

Watch Duty is already installed on more than one in every three phones in many wildfire-prone California regions including Napa and Lake Counties, and has already been downloaded by nearly one million California residents. Over the past year, it has added dedicated reporters in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. Watch Duty's services are now live in these states, along with California, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.

"When a wildfire occurs, panic and confusion are often the first emotions to set in – an especially dangerous reality when you factor in just how unpredictable and fast-moving many fires are," said Jeff Lemelin, Volunteer Battalion Chief for Sonoma County (CA) Fire District. "Watch Duty is providing a vital public service by providing a simple and highly trustworthy option for receiving the key information around wildfire movements, containment status and, especially, evacuation notices, that people need, delivered when they most need it." 

Interested individuals with experience listening to emergency communications and reporting disasters on forums like Facebook and Twitter can apply to be a Watch Duty reporter at https://www.watchduty.org/volunteer.

ABOUT WATCH DUTY
Watch Duty, 501(c)3 nonprofit, provides real-time wildfire information for making informed decisions when seconds count.  Our service is powered by real people – firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders – who diligently monitor radio scanners and collaborate 24/7 to send up-to-the-minute information to your phone. It's free to download on the App Store and Google Play. Learn more at watchduty.org.

SOURCE Watch Duty