Introducing Watch Duty Pro — professional features for firefighters, first responders, and emergency managers for only $79 for the first year ($99 after that). This enhanced version extends our existing capabilities by offering additional features and resources in a single place to help first responders make informed decisions faster.
Watch Duty Pro includes:
Features coming soon:
You can upgrade to Pro in the same app that you know and trust for only $79 for the first year if purchased before December 31, 2024 and just $99 per year after that.
As always, the core life and safety features of Watch Duty will remain free and all proceeds from memberships will go to supporting our non-profit operations.
Real-time wildfire cameras from ALERT West and ALERT California are now integrated directly into Watch Duty and viewable on our map!
ALERTCalifornia incorporates more than 20 years of UC San Diego research into their state-focused camera network of nearly 1,100 cameras. Outside California, ALERTWest partners with other universities and stakeholders to operate hundreds more cameras in neighboring states, with the network constantly expanding. It’s an honor to partner with these two organizations to provide you with the most actionable wildfire information available.
Once you've updated your app, open the ‘Layers’ drawer found in the top right hand corner of your map and select ‘Live Wildfire Cameras’. When you zoom in you will see the cameras appear. Clicking on one allows you to view in real-time as well as a 6-hour time-lapse.
We are pleased to announce a strategic collaboration with California State Parks aimed at improving wildfire safety and communication across the state. As part of this partnership, California State Parks will now be posting directly on the Watch Duty platform, providing valuable updates about prescribed fires throughout the parks system.
This collaboration comes at a critical time as California faces increasing wildfire risks. By leveraging the reach and capabilities of Watch Duty, California State Parks will be able to disseminate important information to not only residents of the surrounding areas but also the fire services and first responders.
"We are excited to partner with California State Parks to enhance wildfire safety for our communities," said John Mills, CEO of Watch Duty. "This collaboration allows us to work with more fire practitioners who are putting good fire on the ground and let residents know there is nothing to worry about when they smell smoke.”
This partnership comes on the heels of our earlier announcement in April that Fire Forward, the leading burn bosses in California, are also posting directly on Watch Duty to help keep our communities informed. In addition, we have already partnered with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to become the leader in real-time prescribed fire information.
The integration of California State Parks' postings on Watch Duty is now live and available to users of the app.
Watch Duty now has detailed power outage information for the entire state of California from utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison (SCE), San Diego Gas & Electric, and more. You can find this layer in the ‘Layers’ tab on the top right of the map, starting in version 2024.4.18.
Over the coming years and months we will be working tirelessly to add more utilities as there are hundreds across the Western United States. If you would like to support this effort please consider becoming a member or donating to our non-profit efforts: www.watchduty.org/donate
Our updated maps have high-contrast colors for easier navigation, larger street labels for better legibility, and proper highway signs to help you find life-saving information even quicker. We’ve also upgraded our satellite map layer to include higher resolution and more up-to-date imagery for better situational awareness. For the first responders out here, we threw in a new topographic layer to make our tool even more powerful in wildland areas.
New enhancements to the interface have led to better usability and fewer clicks when navigating between incidents, prescribed burns, and shelters. You’ll no longer need to use a ‘back arrow’ to go back to the main map – just scroll away and click on another incident. In addition, we have made sweeping performance improvements that allow the app to run faster than ever before.
In breaking news, we emergency deployed Watch Duty in Texas ahead of schedule due to the record-breaking wildfires in the Panhandle. As wind-driven fires blew out of control, our team decided that we needed to be there to help. Within the hour we were live and relaying critical information to residents and first responders alike.
The quick and decisive actions of our volunteers have garnered the attention of not only the community, but the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Texas Forest Service whom we are now working closely with. It is our greatest pleasure to deepen our relationships with those who serve the public.
