A year ago, most of us downloaded an App we had never heard of before. We instantly believed and trusted the information on the App. Who are they, and how did they garner our trust so quickly?
Watch Duty is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization focused on disseminating public safety information in real time from verified sources. Their service is powered by real people—active and retired firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders (not crowdsourced)—who diligently monitor radio scanners and collaborate around the clock to bring you up-to-the-minute life-saving information. Their reporters undergo extensive training and background checks before joining the elite team and adhere to a strict code of conduct.
Their mission is to publish only facts that provide true situational awareness in emergencies, without editorializing or predicting. They honor integrity and correctness over speed or sensationalism.
This is how they so quickly built and maintain our trust.
Watch Duty’s 2025 Year in Review
- Operational Success: Maintained 100% uptime during the LA fires, supporting 8 million users and 100,000 requests per second while government systems struggled.
- Expansion: Expanded wildfire coverage to all 50 states as of December 1, 2025.
- Financial Growth: Doubled their budget to $11.4 million, with $7.6 million currently in the bank. Revenue is driven by a mix of donations and a growing professional membership tier.
- User Base: Active users climbed to 16.8 million (up 2.3x), and professional memberships grew to over 24,000.
- Recognition: Named Fast Company’s #1 non-profit and received an Apple Design Award for Social Impact.
Strategic Goals for 2026
- Target: Double the current user base, donor count, and professional members.
- Revenue Forecast: Ambitiously forecasting $8M in ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) and $9M in donations.
- Marketing: After relying solely on product-led growth, they activated a formal marketing engine in late 2025 to drive awareness.
- Workforce Support: Having doubled their headcount (now 48 paid staff and 292 volunteers), they are focusing on “scaffolding” to support staff mental health and retention.
- AI & Technology: Investing heavily in AI tooling to help reporters detect smoke from images and transcribe radio traffic (via a partnership with Google Fellows), while keeping a “human in the loop” for all alerts.
- Professional Tools: Continuing to build features for enterprise customers like PG&E and Orange County Fire, allowing them to overlay private data onto the Watch Duty map.
Watch Duty News
Watch Duty recently announced a major step forward in how emergency information will move from firefighters in the field to the public.
An upcoming integration between Watch Duty and Tablet Command, Inc. (https://www.tabletcommand.com/) will accelerate the sharing of trusted public safety information during emergencies. As incidents become more complex and move quickly, clear communication matters more than ever. This integration will allow agencies using Tablet Command to share confirmed incident details directly from the tools they already use, while keeping full control over what is shared and when.
For fire service and emergency management leaders, the value is straightforward: fewer gaps, faster situational awareness, and better information for both responders and the communities they serve.
This collaboration aligns with their shared goal: using technology to improve operations and help the public receive clear, accurate information when it matters most.
The integration will be available to Tablet Command agencies beginning this spring.
Images and content courtesy: Watch Duty
