Building a Real-Time Wildfire Alert Platform with Watch Duty

John Mills is the Co-Founder and CEO of Watch Duty, the leading app for real-time wildfire alerts in the U.S. In this episode of Inevitable, John shares how Watch Duty became a vital public safety tool—rising to #1 in the App Store during the recent Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Watch Duty delivers live updates on fire spread, evacuations, and recovery efforts. While historically funded by donations and memberships, the platform now also offers a pro version for first responders, utilities, and emergency managers. John discusses his vision for building a mission-driven tech company that serves the public while scaling to meet growing demand in an increasingly wildfire-prone world.