Shortly after the new year, the world watched the Los Angeles area burn in devastating wildfires across the region. From the Palisades Fire in the west to Eaton Fire in the east and numerous smaller fires in between, the whole city was gripped in stress and uncertainty. Even as firefighters battled blazes, new fires broke out north of the city. Though the most recent wave of fires has passed, the region has long been—and remains—at risk for devastating fires.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, where wildfires have always been a part of life. I can remember ash falling all over my town from a nearby fire when I was in high school. I wasn’t too far from the 2017 Skirball fire that burned along the 405 freeway, spawning viral images. The first time I visited the giant Sequoias a few hours outside the city, the sky was filled with smoke from a massive blaze in the mountains that burned over 170,000 acres. I still live here, and despite how ‘normal’ wildfires are, the last spate of them has been more widespread and unnerving than anything I’ve seen.
Social media posts from distant observers have understandably focused on the potential causes and numerous failures and instances of negligence and mismanagement from the government and its various agencies and officials. But the experience for many people who live here has been different. When you’re unsure of whether your home will burn to the ground, there isn’t much time to fixate on the details of why or how the emergency arose. On the first night of the Palisades Fire, I juggled packing up my most precious belongings — family heirlooms, photos, and home videos — with helping my mother prepare to evacuate her own house as a different fire burned near her.
In a less publicized example of government ineptitude, public notification systems have left much to be desired. They were glitchy, missing key information, or difficult to access, especially for people with limited cell service or internet. At the height of the Palisades Fire, the county accidentally sent out evacuation notices to the entire region not once but twice, causing millions of people even more stress and panic than they were already experiencing.
Amid the chaos, a firefighter I know recommended an app that tracks fires, reports information related to them, and sends users notifications with important updates. Watch Duty is a free app (with a paid option) that, according to its founder, entrepreneur and engineer John Clark Mills, arose as a direct response to the shortcomings of government wildfire responses in the state.
“I’ve been through this a couple times, and I am bombarded with nonsense alerts, alerts that don’t say anything or no alerts at all, frankly,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. In a separate interview, he recalled a fire that came within a quarter mile of his ranch in northern California. He said he received no official alerts and only realized what was happening when he saw helicopters flying overhead.
This kind of failure can be a matter of literal life and death. “Nearly every wildfire fatality occurs within the first hour yet official notifications are often delayed, sparse, or non-existent,” Watch Duty’s website notes.
Frustrated with the difficulties of getting accurate, clear information, Mills sought to understand the ins and outs of wildfire responses. He connected with firefighters and took wildfire training courses. He also attempted to work with local politicians, who he says “had no interest in working with” him.
“I just realized that no one was going to fix this, no one was going to figure it out, and there’s lots of people like me who were trying to figure out what is going on,” he told the Reporter.
In 2021, he created Watch Duty, which has been a lifeline for Los Angeles residents, including me, during this latest round of devastating fires. It is a no-nonsense, well-built app (while their website calls it a “service, not an app,” it is downloadable in the app store). It is centered around a map with flame icons to mark current fires and provides up-to-date, accurate information and reporting based on firsthand monitoring of radio communications. It also provides evacuation updates, shelter locations, air quality data, wind patterns, the containment status of each fire, and external links to press conferences and local news reports. Where the government’s systems are unreliable and unwieldy, Watch Duty is efficient, easy to use, and accurate.
Four weeks ago, I stood on my balcony watching the sky glow orange as the Palisades Fire crept up from the other side of the mountains toward my home. The app was integral in helping me decide whether or not to leave, and I wasn’t alone. Downloads skyrocketed as the fires raged and people desperately sought accurate information. In one night, Watch Duty garnered 600,000 downloads, rising to the top of Apple’s app store. My whole family and everyone I know in Los Angeles is now relying on its services. Even some government agencies are using it, according to Watch Duty.
Watch Duty is run by a small team of paid employees with a broader collection of volunteers. Many of their reporters are also active and retired firefighters and first responders who have direct experience with wildfires and are careful not to sensationalize their reports.
Though Mills didn’t start the app as a business or to turn a profit — it’s designated a nonprofit — people are willing to pay for it voluntarily. It’s funded largely by private individuals and companies. Watch Duty recently reported that over 80 percent of its annual budget now comes from paid memberships. In other words, people who recognize and appreciate the service the app offers are willing to pay their hard-earned money for additional features and to support the project. Though it has received funds from some government-subsidized companies (including Google) and partners with some public parks agencies, it is a non-government service.
Even so, Mills’ activist intentions don’t necessarily align with free market economics. “This is my life and my community. I owe it to my community to not be a disaster capitalist,” he said while commenting on the app’s minimal collection of personal data. He has also vowed not to sell it and very clearly didn’t start it to make money. Regardless, his project is providing something essential in any economic system: compassionate action in service of helping others.
As many people already know, chaotic and insufficient disaster responses from government are not unique to California. From hurricanes and blizzards to tornadoes and floods, many people find themselves on their own in some of the most stressful and traumatizing times of their lives. It is unsurprising, then, that an app like Watch Duty is growing in popularity: according to their website, they now operate in 22 states.
While the ineptitude of government is unlikely to change, people’s understanding of this reality is changing — and so is the firefighting marketplace. The media highlighted instances of residents in the Pacific Palisades, an extremely wealthy area of Los Angeles, hiring private firefighting services to protect their homes amid the fires (a trend left-wing commentators predictably condemned despite the small number of homeowners who have done so). Some homeowners are also installing private fire hydrants, a cheaper alternative to an entire private firefighting team. Demand for these private hydrants has skyrocketed amid this recent wave of fires. Equipped with hoses and other accessories, the hydrants provide another layer of protection. While they may not replace professional expertise, they allow individuals to take proactive steps to protect their property.
Further, insurance companies (and even government agencies) contract with private fire services to protect homes, which is not a new practice (the history of firefighting is notably rich with examples of fire insurance companies hiring their own firefighting services). Both fire prevention and firefighting companies are working with insurance companies to achieve this, though prevention services are reportedly more common. These business relationships are driven by the economic reality that fire insurance companies are responsible for payouts to policyholders when their homes are damaged or destroyed. This creates an incentive for them to preempt potential harm and minimize their losses. Government agencies have no such contractual obligation to taxpayers, so it is unsurprising that public responses were inadequate. In light of this, private firefighting services are a predictable development and market response.
Whether through the use of private fire hydrants or private fire prevention and firefighting services, individuals and private businesses alike are increasingly seeking more effective alternatives. Watch Duty is a prime example of what is possible when people stop relying on government and take matters into their own hands and communities.