Great start
Response from developer
Thank you for the feedback! What you see in AwareCA depends on where you are and which local agencies are participating. In California, our statewide feeds cover all wildfires over 10 acres, along with evacuation warnings and orders throughout the state and fire perimeter data. This information automatically feeds into AwareCA, even if your local agency hasn’t joined yet. Participating local agencies also share CAD/911 information, adding smaller fires and other relevant incidents. Want more coverage in your area? Ask your local fire agency to participate—or tell us your city, county, and state, and our team will proactively reach out to them. We’re adding agencies in California and working to expand into other states, with nationwide coverage as our goal. We don’t have a confirmed timeline for every location yet.
Login options are terrible
If you're going to distribute something like this, and expect people to embrace it, allow for account creation using whatever email address people have/want.
ETA: Read the developer’s response. Way to listen to feedback! 🙄 Again, will not use it due to account login limitations. Really doesn’t matter what your rationale is. I gave up my Fitbit because they required Gmail, and I paid money for that. A free app? No problem not using it.
Response from developer
Thank you for the feedback! AwareCA uses Apple or Google sign-in by design to keep account creation simple and minimize the personal information we collect. It lets you securely sign in through an account you already have, without creating another password or filling out a separate registration form. Apple or Google verifies your identity and shares only the limited account information AwareCA needs to recognize your account and personalize your experience. This includes your AwareCA user profile, where you can create and manage your locations of interest. Signing in does not give AwareCA access to your emails, photos, contacts, or any other content in your Apple or Google account. Our goal is straightforward: give you access to official public-safety information while asking for as little personal information as possible.
Limited Access
So I’ve no idea how useful the actual information is.
Response from developer
Thank you for the feedback! AwareCA uses Apple or Google sign-in by design to keep account creation simple and minimize the personal information we collect. It lets you securely sign in through an account you already have, without creating another password or filling out a separate registration form. Apple or Google verifies your identity, and AwareCA receives the limited account information needed to recognize your account and support your personalized experience.
Doesn’t even compare to WatchDuty
Response from developer
Thank you for the feedback! AwareCA provides official public-safety information directly from participating fire departments and emergency agencies. Those agencies control what they publish, so you’re hearing from the people responsible for managing the incident and informing the community. Other apps, including Watch Duty, can also provide helpful information. The key difference is where the updates come from: AwareCA is a direct channel for participating agencies’ official information. Updates may appear at different times or include different details across apps. AwareCA displays wildfires of 10 acres or greater on the statewide fire layer to provide Californians with a clear, useful picture of significant wildfire activity without overwhelming the map with thousands of smaller incidents. That does not mean AwareCA ignores fires under 10 acres. Participating fire agencies can publish their own local incidents and information directly to AwareCA, including smaller fires when there is a public impact.
