A nonprofit is now working with Utah emergency management teams to bring residents what could be life-saving information in real time.
John Mills, the co-founder and CEO of the Watch Duty app, said the project started with the need to quickly find wildfire information all in one place.
“The magic of Watch Duty is we have hundreds of people who are constantly listening to first responder radio traffic, public information officers, sheriffs’ offices, and we collate that data in real time, and we send you push notifications via the app to your phone,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” July 10.
Mills said the team also works directly with Utah Fire Info, one of the state’s official fire information sources.
He said his team focuses on fires that risk lives and property. Other burns are noted as silent incidents to reduce the noise.
Almost five years in, Watch Duty can now track fires, floods and other emergency incidents in real time in all 50 states. Mills says the app and website are designed for users of all ages.
“What we tried to do is make this work for 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds, and frankly, we have both,” he said. “So it is bright and colorful. It is easy to use.”
The app also tracks and alerts users of evacuation orders. That includes the most recent evacuations for the Timp Fire at Timpooneke Campground and Mutual Dell in American Fork Canyon.
Authorities issued the evacuation order Friday morning after the fire sparked Thursday above Tibble Fork near the border of Utah and Wasatch counties.
It had burned 5 acres and was 0% contained as of Friday evening.
