‘It’s a great tool’: Local emergency officials react to Watch Duty app’s growing role in monitoring wildfires
Jillian Fortner
(Update: Adding video, details, comments)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – As wildfire season intensifies, many Central Oregonians are turning to the Watch Duty smartphone app or website to stay informed. Since its launch in 2021, the app has become a widely used source for fire information around the region.
Watch Duty co-founder Dave Merritt told KTVZ News on Wednesday that the app was created in California and now reaches millions of users across several states.
“We started in the communities that we knew and knew needed it the most, in Sonoma, Napa, and Lake County,” Merritt said. “At the end of that first year, we realized that, you know, we had like 100,000 people that had downloaded the app, and people really, really liked it.”
The app is run by active and retired firefighters, dispatchers and first responders who monitor radio scanners and official sources, collaborating 24/7 to deliver information quickly.
Merritt said Watch Duty saw a major spike in downloads during the January wildfires in Los Angeles.
Deschutes County officials say Watch Duty has become a helpful tool over the years, but they still encourage residents to sign up for official emergency alert systems.
“A lot of people use it. It’s a great tool. But we do also ask that people look at official sites as well,” said Nathan Garibay, emergency manager for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
Garibay said the Watch Duty team has been open to local feedback and has made efforts to align their alerts with Deschutes County’s communication practices.
“They seem receptive to that feedback and have made adjustments to get information out in a format that is consistent with our practices,” Garibay added.
Garibay noted that not every fire poses a major threat, and that’s why the county is selective with its emergency alerts.
“We don’t want people to get fatigued around getting those alerts,” he said. “But we want them to be aware of what’s going on and where the risk is, and that when an incident occurs that is potentially threatening to them, they get the right information in a timely fashion.”
In addition to wildfire notifications, Deschutes County Alerts also sends warnings for severe weather, neighborhood emergencies, and missing persons.
As Watch Duty continues to grow, both its co-founder and local emergency officials agree it’s not about picking just one source. They say staying informed means relying on multiple, trusted channels.
“We should be viewed as supplementary to official sources, you know – especially around wildfire,” Merritt said.
Watch Duty currently focuses on wildfires, but the team hopes to expand to other natural disasters in the future.
“So what happens if there’s a flood? What happens if there’s a tornado? What happens if there’s a tsunami?” Merritt said. “You know, we don’t necessarily know how we’ll fit into those different ecosystems and challenges, but we want to try to provide good, free services to the public to help them when an emergency strikes.”
Watch Duty is available on the App Store, Google Play and on your web browser.
You can sign up for Deschutes County alerts here. If you join, you’ll receive phone calls, an email or text messages about emergency evacuations, natural disasters and neighborhood emergencies.
Jefferson County and Crook County also have alert services.