When John Mills got caught in the path of California’s Wallbridge Fire in 2020, the off-the-grid tech entrepreneur realized the chaos of trying to gather critical wildfire information could be deadly. His solution? Watch Duty — a free app to stay ahead of advancing flames.

“Hey, I live in the woods, I’m gonna die, this has to get launched tomorrow,” Mills recalled thinking during that wildfire, as reported by NPR. His team built Watch Duty in just 80 days, attracting 50,000 users in its first week.

The app combines official evacuation notices, fire maps, and real-time radio communications from firefighters into one easy-to-use platform. A team of staff reporters and volunteers — many former firefighters and emergency dispatchers themselves — monitor wilderness cameras and emergency frequencies 24/7 to provide instant updates.

Watch Duty’s life-saving potential became clear during recent Los Angeles-area fires, when it shot to become one of America’s most downloaded free apps. Karen Hancock, Public Information Officer for Sonoma County Fire District, called it “an amazing tool for not only our public but for our firefighters and crews as well.”

While California’s state fire agency CalFire prefers residents use official channels, local emergency responders embrace Watch Duty as a vital addition to their communication toolkit. The nonprofit-run app, which doesn’t collect or sell user data, has expanded from three Northern California counties to cover the entire American West, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Previously:

• California Fires: From space, NASA JPL maps damage from Woolsey and Camp blazes

• Photos from space of the northern California fires

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