# How we built Watch Duty, the lifesaving wildfire alert app | John Mills

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-tech-504556/how-we-built-watch-duty-the-lifesaving-wildfire-alert-app-john-mills
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-tech-504556/how-we-built-watch-duty-the-lifesaving-wildfire-alert-app-john-mills.md
Podcast: [TED Tech](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-tech-504556)
Published: 2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audiocollective.ted.com
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/67585c62102e6d4448d44969/e/69961971f8a4f13cffa555f4/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ted-tech-504556/episodes/how-we-built-watch-duty-the-lifesaving-wildfire-alert-app-john-mills
Duration seconds: 639

## Resource

After finding himself alone in an unreported wildfire in the woodlands of California, John Mills decided to take matters into his own hands. Hear the incredible story of how he rallied fire survivors and retired first responders to create Watch Duty, the nonprofit emergency alert system that’s beating official government warnings and buying people precious minutes to escape danger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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