as for Watch Duty
yes it’s an app loaded on your phone
yes you get a notification on your phone if there’s a wildfire in your area (you can configure your notifications in a few different ways)
Watch Duty only posts regarding wildfires
basic Watch Duty is free but accepts donations and now offers a yearly membership that includes enhanced features such as firefighting aircraft tracking
yes, firefighters, commanders, OES, red cross, PG&E, etc are using Watch Duty.
in some areas Watch Duty has a larger reach than reverse 911, nixel, genasys-protect, etc and can be a lot faster with less red tape.
This might be like opening Pandoras box and possibly should have it’s own thread but I’m curious in an IA context what Watch Duty could do to make it even more user friendly for those of you who work in the industry.
I mostly use this forum, as people whom have put boots on a particular atch of land can give great intel. This season I have to use Watch Duty to get information on the South Fork Complex (becuasse my son is on it). I traced back and an initial fire was here, but once it went ot complex, no thread was started; and no upates to the original. It happens. We ar edependent upon somene interested in an area posting. Most of the time it works great! Not complaining, at all. Like most of the comments, two different platforms = two different missions.
This site and wildlandfire.com before it have always relied on a few key individuals who have been glued to their scanners and doggedly covered large areas. Over time, a lot of these people have moved on, and each time, it has opened holes in coverage.
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thanks for responding…
I use them both but I miss Abercrombie…
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