Watch Duty

Watch Duty is the wildfire tracking app that changed how California journalists cover fire. Launched as a volunteer project and now operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Sherwood Forestry Service, Inc.), it provides real-time wildfire reports from a network of 150+ trained volunteer monitors — firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders who listen to scanner traffic and official channels 24 hours a day. The reports hit the app faster than official government alerts. During the 2023 and 2024 California fire seasons, Watch Duty consistently broke fire information 15-45 minutes before CAL FIRE's public updates. The Washington Post, New York Times, and Wired have covered it as a critical public safety tool. For journalists, the value is straightforward: Watch Duty tells you where fires are burning, how fast they're moving, what evacuations are ordered, and where firefighting aircraft are operating — in real time, on a map, with photos submitted by monitors on the ground. The app covers all 50 US states, though monitor density is highest in California and the western US. The flight tracker (members only) shows air tanker and helicopter operations, which is useful for both coverage and crew safety when deploying to fire zones. The satellite imagery layer shows fire perimeters derived from VIIRS and GOES-16 data. Air quality readings, wind data, and red flag warnings are integrated. The limitations are honest ones. This is a volunteer network, not an official government agency. Monitor coverage varies by region — rural areas with fewer volunteers may have slower reporting. The app depends on scanner access and official radio channels, which means it's only as fast as the first monitor who hears the dispatch. Reports are crowd-verified but not formally QA'd in the traditional editorial sense. For California and western US fire coverage, Watch Duty has become essential infrastructure. Featured in The Washington Post and NYT for a reason.