This Is the Best App for Tracking Forest Fires
In the event of severe weather and natural disasters that can require everything from preparation to evacuation, having reliable and up-to-date reports on conditions is critical. For those affected by wildfires in California (and other Western states), Watch Duty is the best service for getting this important information.
Watch Duty collects wildfire information from 911 dispatch calls and government agencies and relies on volunteers to monitor ongoing activity using radio scanners, wildfire cameras and satellite data, as well as reports from law enforcement and fire departments. A team of volunteers, consisting of active and retired firefighters, dispatchers and first responders, and reporters, continues to collect, verify and report incident information, notifying the public when life or property is threatened.
What makes Watch Duty worth using is its robust, reliable, real-time data. It collates more official sources than individual agencies like CalFire, and its volunteers fact-check rather than publish unverified, crowdsourced or social media reports (which can perpetuate misinformation).
How to use the Watch Duty feature
Once you open Watch Duty, you can view a map of fires or search for a specific incident, address, or location. Click on the fire icon to view information about the incident, including verified updates, evacuation orders, and shelter locations for people and animals. You can also turn on notifications and scroll through a news feed that may include photos, weather and air quality reports, road closures and updates on firefighting activity.
Watch Duty covers 22 states in the Western and Midwestern United States (including Hawaii). Available for iOS and Android , as well as via a web browser , the app and its core features are free to use and you don’t need to register an account. There are additional paid membership options that provide access to additional features such as fire flight tracking, additional alerts and more detailed data. But fire monitoring and evacuation orders are available to everyone for free.