Wildfire App for Western States Available

A new wildfire app that relies on volunteers to disseminate information will be introduced this week in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

Watch Duty [watchduty.org] was launched in California in 2020 by tech industry executive John Mills to share information about fires in his state. He says he built a network of about 70 people who volunteer their time monitoring fire agency communications.

“We try and disseminate the information that makes sense. So we may listen to, like, three minutes of radio, calling for more engines, calling for air attack. We’re waiting to hear the size up. Once we have information to share, we say, hey, there’s a heavy timber fire, half acre, dangerous rim spread, moving north.”

That information is then sent to people who signed up for alerts for that county. Beginning today, Watch List will expand its service to several Western states, including Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Users can download the app for free and pick one or more counties from which to receive information.

The App alerts users to fires as far away as Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, to the Western Coast.