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.

Watch Duty app on a phone
Popular Science
Wired
The Guardian

There’s a fear of being at risk. Watch Duty is my Valium.

Carrie Kramlich
via Wired Magazine

Features

Real-time Wildfire Alerts

Receive notifications about the status and conditions on the ground as they change.

Monitor Wildfires and Prescribed Burns

Know if that smoke in the distance is a fire you need to be worried about.

Air Quality & Wind Direction

See everything that impacts fires in one place.

Watch Duty app on an iphone

Track Active Fire Perimeters

Using satellite imagery and other official sources you can easily track and monitor the progress of a fire.

Evacuation Orders & Shelters

Find clear and concise evacuation notices as well as shelters for people and animals all in one place.

Submit Photos

Help first responders and loved ones by sharing photos of fire conditions and other hazards for the world to see.

Watching Over the Entire Western United States


Watch Duty is a service, not an app, powered by over 60 volunteers – firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders – who diligently monitor radio scanners and other official sources 24 hours a day to send you the most up-to-date information. We have created dozens of internal collaboration tools from messaging to alerting systems to be notified of every fire start. At any given time there are dozens of reporters monitoring everything. Rest assured that we are always on watch duty and we will keep you up to date when it matters most.

How it works
Watch Duty Coverage Map

Community Testimonials

“Having Watch Duty has reduced my stress level greatly. Just seeing how fast the firefighters jump on the wildfires and get them Forward Progress Stopped is very reassuring.”

Jana S.

“You guys are the best! You are my go-to first before CalFire or Yubanet. Thanks so much!”

Dennis G.

“As a cofounder of a firewise community, ... I get the most up-to-date and fastest information from Watch Duty and I find the updating to be very timely and accurate. I feel like I know almost immediately when there is a fire and that is a HUGE relief to me. ”

Stacey W.

Interested in Volunteering?

We are always looking for skilled volunteers to help us build our platform and cover more territory to keep our community safe.

Join a team of some of the best and brightest engineers, reporters, scanners, first responders, retired firefighters, and dispatchers.

Learn More