Watch Duty: Wildfire & Floods

Watch Duty

About this app

Watch Duty is the only disaster mapping and alert app powered by real people giving you real-time information on wildfires and floods vetted by trained professionals, not robots or AI. While many other apps rely solely on government alerts, which can often be delayed, Watch Duty provides up-to-the-minute, life-saving information through a dedicated team of active and retired firefighters, dispatchers, first responders, and reporters who monitor radio scanners around the clock. We aim to keep you informed and safe with real-time updates and alerts.

Disaster Tracking Features:

- Push notifications about nearby safety impacting floods, wildfires, and firefighting or emergency response efforts
- Real-time updates as conditions change
- Evacuation orders & shelter information
- Active fire perimeters and progress
- Flash flood warnings and threat levels
- Current and projected river gauge flooding levels
- Infrared satellite hotspots from VIIRS and MODIS
- Wind speed and direction
- Power outage size and estimated resolution time
- Historical wildfire perimeters
- Air quality readings
- Street and satellite maps
- Air attack and air tanker flight tracker
- Save locations for quick access on the map

Watch Duty is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our service will always remain free of charge and free of ads. You can support our mission with a $25/year membership, which grants access to special features as a token of our appreciation.

Disclaimer: Watch Duty is not affiliated with any government agency. The information provided in this app is sourced from publicly available and trusted sources, including but not limited to government agencies, radio transmissions, and satellite data. Specific government sources include:

- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: https://www.noaa.gov/
- VIIRS: https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/data/instruments/viirs
- MODIS: https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov
- National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC): https://www.nifc.gov
- California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE): https://www.fire.ca.gov
- California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES): https://www.caloes.ca.gov
- National Weather Service (NWS): https://www.weather.gov/
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): https://www.epa.gov/
- Bureau of Land Management: https://www.blm.gov/
- Department of Defense: https://www.defense.gov/
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/
- US Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/
- US Forest Service: https://www.fs.usda.gov/

For more information or support, feel free to contact us at support.watchduty.org.

Privacy Policy: https://www.watchduty.org/legal/privacy-policy

Ratings and reviews

An essential app for anyone living in fire country. Provides accurate, up-to-date, real-time notifications about fire risk, movement, and weather developments. The paid version has more functionality, but it is not necessary unless you are obsessed with fire monitoring like I am (you can track water tankers in real time). :) The free version provides the critical information you need to stay safe.

Watch Duty is the very best wildfire tracking app. I use the free version, but make periodic donations. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that I live at the juncture of three counties and have to set the app to alert me to fires from all three. If I were able to choose my geographic location more precisely I wouldn't have to get alerts from locations well outside of the areas that I frequent. Great App. Try it, it's free!

This is an excellent app! I highly recommend it if you live in a fire-prone area because you'll get notifications before you'll even hear it on the news and now they're adding a bunch more things like bad weather alerts and flooding alerts. I bought a subscription after having it for free (but donating) for about a year. No doubt an excellent investment.

What’s new

This release includes various improvements and fixes.