Stay Safe From Wildfires When Seconds Count

Watch Duty, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, alerts you of nearby wildfires and firefighting efforts in real-time.

L.A. residents FLOCKED to the Watch Duty app, a FREE app which shows real-time updates and alerts for wildfires in 21 states with over 2 million downloads as the historic wildfires burned in Los Angeles.

In the first days of the fires, Watch Duty shot to the No. 1 spot in Apple's app store seemingly overnight. It provides users easy-to-read maps showing burn areas, evacuation zones, fire cameras and more. It's all sourced from publicly available data and verified by a team of fire fact-checkers. For Subscribers ($24.99/year) users can follow aerial attack units LIVE as they drop water and fire retardants.

OPERATING ON TRUST

Mills points to what he believes is an outdated national alert system, ill-equipped to handle the ferocity of future natural disasters as one of the reasons for the confusion seen in California. "They have these arcane checks and balances from the FEMA ICS (Incident Command System) structure that was invented in the seventies." Mills said. "Disasters are moving faster, and they haven't updated. If you're waiting for the news to tell you what to do, or you're waiting for the fire trucks to show up, you could be dead. [Watch Duty] understands the urgency."

With 2.8 million users, premium membership options and full-time employees, Watch Duty has a significant cash flow. According to the company's 2024 annual report, it brought in $5.6 million in funding through a combination of grants, donations, and paying members. But Mills has no plans to put the app behind a paywall. "This is a governmental service and a municipal operation that needs to exist free and devoid of ads, spam, sign-up logins, marketing to 3rd parties, [and] selling you fire hoses when you're trying to run for your life." Mills said. "It's just ridiculous, and so we will take no part in that."

So how should California government officials respond? Says Mills, "If I were them, I would pick up the phone and call me."

EXPERIENCED VOLUNTEERS

Watch Duty has more than 150 volunteers made up of active and retired first responders, firefighters and dispatchers who monitor radios, scan the internet, and reach out to officials. If something comes in through one of those channels, the team coordinates and confirms the various pieces of new information. Once it's confirmed, an incident leader will send the update to the app, which in turn alerts users in the area.

PERSONAL NOTE: All of us on Rick’s Team have the Watch Duty app. NO QUESTION - it’s a MUST HAVE app. There’s absolutely nothing like it.

OUR RATING: 10 stars on a 5-star scale 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Watch below as KNBC 4 Los Angeles profiles Watch Duty with its founder John Mills on the KNBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2025.