Cristy Thomas began to panic as she called 911 for the second time on a warm October day but couldn't get through. She anxiously watched the plume of black smoke pouring over her rural community in central California get larger. Then she heard a familiar ping. Watch Duty, an app that alerts users of wildfire risk and provides critical information about blazes as they unfold, had already registered the fire. She relaxed. The cavalry was coming.
In just three years since it launched, the organization now boasts up to 7.2 million active users and up to 512 million pageviews at peak moments. For a mostly volunteer-run non-profit, the numbers are impressive, even by startup standards.
Watch Duty has changed the lives of people in fire-prone areas. No longer left to scramble for information when skies darken and ash fills the air, users can now rely on an app for fast and accurate intel, and it's free.
The app is not just about alerts, it is about a state of mind, Watch Duty's CEO, John Mills, said. The Silicon Valley alum founded the organization after moving from San Francisco to a sprawling ranch in Sonoma county where fire dangers are high.
Collection
[
|
...
]