Podcast Summary: TED Talks Daily

Episode: How we built Watch Duty, the lifesaving wildfire alert app | John Mills
Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Elise Hu
Guest: John Mills (Founder, Watch Duty)

Episode Overview

This episode features a TED Talk and in-depth interview with John Mills, founder of Watch Duty—a real-time wildfire alert app developed after he personally witnessed the critical gap in emergency information during California wildfires. Mills shares his journey from off-grid resident to civic tech pioneer, describing how a group of citizen radio operators and volunteer engineers created a tool now used across the American West to save lives. The conversation explores the grassroots spirit behind Watch Duty, the tension with government agencies, and the app’s next steps in disaster response.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Genesis of Watch Duty and the Information Gap

• John Mills recounts his first major encounter with wildfire after moving off-grid ([03:43]):
  • Shocked by the lack of official alerts despite being in clear and present danger.
  • "There was nothing on the news, there was no alert on my phone." — John Mills [04:13]
• Discovers local ham radio operators sharing real-time updates on Facebook and Twitter, becoming an information lifeline ([04:58–05:49]).
• Realization: Social media, while helpful, is fragmented and unreliable for crisis communication.
  • "Social media is really made for cats and memes." — John Mills [05:49]

2. Building Watch Duty: From Citizen Initiative to App Launch

• Mills joins radio operator community to learn firsthand and begins thinking about a scalable solution ([06:03]).
• Identifies government inaction: "I realized that the government wasn't going to be able to solve this problem." — John Mills [06:22]
• Recruits volunteers (radio operators, Silicon Valley engineers) and organizes an 80-day sprint to launch the nonprofit Watch Duty app ([06:37]).
  • "If I could just band them all together we could build our own emergency alerting system." — John Mills [06:31–06:37]
• Early Success: Watch Duty's alerts outpace official notifications, sometimes by over 40 minutes ([06:56]):
  • "Our alerts beat the government by 41 minutes, giving thousands of residents critical moments to evacuate when every second counts." — John Mills [06:56]

3. Institutional Tension and Community Impact

• Initial government resistance: Some officials viewed Watch Duty as a threat, even questioning its legality ([07:14–07:30]).
  • "Spoiler alert, it isn’t. The status quo has no interest in changing." — John Mills [07:14]
• Positive community response: Letters of gratitude for saving homes and lives ([07:30]).
• Rapid growth: Volunteers and funding increase as credibility builds; app becomes widely used during major LA wildfires ([07:47–08:38]).
  • "In just a few days, two and a half million people, one quarter of all of LA county downloaded Watch Duty to find safety during their worst wildfire in history." — John Mills [08:19–08:38]
• Central message: Grassroots action can outpace bureaucracy in times of crisis.
  • "Do not ask for permission. Proceed until apprehended." — John Mills [09:01]
  • "Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets. Right. And so if we ruin that trust and everything we've built, everything goes downhill, and we cannot erode trust." — John Mills [17:44–18:39]

4. Behind-the-Scenes: How Watch Duty Works

• Describes operational mechanics ([12:10]):
  • 25 paid staff & 300 volunteers monitor fire service radio and online sources 24/7.
  • Collaborate in Slack to verify information in real time.
  • Notifications sent to app/web users immediately as situations unfold.
  • “It’s really quite an analog process…We are collaborating in real time in Slack…” — John Mills [12:10–13:16]
• Redundancy and trust: Multiple checks by certified staff; real-time fact-checking essential ([17:06]):
  • Staff often exceeds formal government training (Public Information Officer certifications).

5. Reliability: Avoiding Government Missteps

• Contrast with official systems: Describes LA incident where government issued three erroneous evacuation orders ([15:08]).
  • Watch Duty handled technical load and fact-checking to prevent misinformation.
  • "We saw the traffic spike and we're like, oh my God, what happened? ... this looks like erroneous information that is completely useless." — John Mills [15:31–16:31]
• Fact-checking protocols: Human oversight and internal review; data and radio recordings archived as evidence ([17:44]).

6. Changing Relationships with Government Agencies

• Initial friction: Officials see Watch Duty as disruptive.
• Shift to acceptance and partnership: Trust, reliability, and community need drive gradual adoption.
  • "I'm a nonprofit. Right. I don't have to be here. Right. I'm here because I choose to be here. So we are here to be of service, and that's what's important to remember." — John Mills [19:31–20:28]
• Historic perspective: Mirrors initial resistance to official adoption of social media by Public Information Officers ([21:14]).

7. Expanding the Mission: Beyond Wildfires

• Plans to include all natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.) ([24:07]):
  • "It is about citizens on watch duty. And so it was always the goal... that we would expand to cover all of these disasters..."
  • Flood alerts targeted for rollout in Spring 2026; wildfire coverage to all 50 states in December.
• Digital first response: Technical assistance to municipalities, often in the middle of night during emergencies ([25:09–26:13]).
  • “What’s really happening is utter chaos throughout the night when this happens.” — John Mills [26:13]

8. Trust, Facts, and the Future of Local Information

• Filling the gap left by decline of local news and increasing editorialization at national level ([23:37]):
  • "We need more truth and more sources of truth that are verified by science. Right? And facts. And watch duty is just publishing fact after fact after fact..." — John Mills [22:29]
  • Decision support, not prescriptive evacuation instructions.

9. Personal Motivation and Gratitude

• John’s personal gratitude centers on his supportive local community: ranchers, winemakers, restaurateurs—grounded people outside the Silicon Valley tech bubble ([27:12]).
  • “I love being out in the woods right outside of town and spending time with human beings who are not all trying to solve the same problem.” — John Mills [27:12]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “There was nothing on the news, there was no alert on my phone.” — John Mills [04:13]
• "Social media is really made for cats and memes." — John Mills [05:49]
• “The status quo has no interest in changing.” — John Mills [07:14]
• “In just a few days, two and a half million people, one quarter of all of LA county downloaded Watch Duty to find safety during their worst wildfire in history.” — John Mills [08:19–08:38]
• “Do not ask for permission. Proceed until apprehended.” — John Mills [09:01]
• “Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets. Right. And so if we ruin that trust and everything we've built, everything goes downhill, and we cannot erode trust.” — John Mills [17:44–18:39]
• "We need more truth and more sources of truth that are verified by science. Right? And facts." — John Mills [22:29]
• "I'm a nonprofit. Right. I don't have to be here. Right. I'm here because I choose to be here. So we are here to be of service." — John Mills [20:28]
• “I love being out in the woods…with human beings who are not all trying to solve the same problem.” — John Mills [27:12]

Key Timestamps

• 03:43: John Mills' wildfire experience sparks idea for Watch Duty
• 04:58: Discovery of ham radio community as real-time information source
• 06:31–06:56: Mobilizing volunteers, engineers; Watch Duty's first deployment
• 08:19: LA wildfires and Watch Duty’s widespread adoption during crisis
• 12:10–13:16: Explanation of Watch Duty’s operational mechanics
• 15:08: Discussion of LA's erroneous official evacuation alerts
• 17:44: Detailed internal fact-checking processes
• 19:31: How Watch Duty gained trust with officials and the public
• 24:07: Plans to expand to floods and other disasters
• 25:09–26:13: Municipal partnerships; digital first response stories
• 27:12: John’s gratitude for local community support

Conclusion

John Mills’ story is a testament to the power of determined citizens using technology to serve their communities in ways government systems often cannot. Watch Duty now stands as a critical, trusted resource—real-time, reliable, and rapidly expanding to tackle all types of natural disasters. This episode underscores the importance of verified information, grassroots action, and community trust in the age of frequent climate-driven emergencies.