Comparison

The Fire Wire App vs NYC PBA

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Fire Wire App

Stay informed about live fire, EMS, and 911 alerts with an interactive incident map and scanner audio. Receive instant notifications for emergencies worldwide, track incidents, and access historical data. Premium features offer an ad-free experience, background audio, and advanced filtering.

Highlights
  • Live incident map
  • Instant push alerts
  • Incident feed and archive
  • Scanner audio
  • Favorites and bookmarking
  • Precision filters
  • Custom alert tones
Features
Read full description

Live fire, EMS and 911 alerts plus an interactive incident map and scanner audio right on your iPhone. Fire Wire keeps first responders, volunteers and safety-minded neighbours informed the moment the tones drop, often faster than social media or delayed government notifications. FREE FEATURES • Live Incident Map – track structure fires, wildfires, rescues, haz-mat and more worldwide. • Instant Push Alerts – follow your city, county, dispatch channel or specific units. • Incident Feed & Archive – scroll current calls or explore decades of FDNY history. • Favorites – bookmark stations, apparatus or frequent locations. GO PREMIUM ($5.99 / month) • Ad-free experience. • Unlimited scanner audio with background play. • Precision filters: by borough, incident keyword or GPS radius. • Custom alert tones so you never miss the next job. WHY FIRE WIRE • Built and moderated by active firefighters—accuracy matters. • Trusted by more than 250 000 first responders and incident buffs. • Lightweight, battery-friendly design built for life in the field. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. The plan renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Unused trial portions are forfeited upon purchase. Privacy Policy: https://nycfirewire.net/about/privacy Terms of Service: https://nycfirewire.net/about/terms

About

NYC PBA

This official union app provides members with PBA news, event updates, and a convenient way to submit paperwork electronically. It serves as a central resource for all essential membership information.

Highlights
  • PBA news and event updates
  • Electronic paperwork submission
  • Membership information resource
  • Official union communication
Read full description

This is the official NYC PBA union app made available by the PBA to our members. We made this app to better serve PBA Members by allowing them to stay up to date with PBA news & events, submit important paperwork in a convenient electronic format, and to serve as a comprehensive resource center for all important membership information provided by the PBA.

Screenshots

The Fire Wire App4 screens
NYC PBA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Fire Wire App at 3.5 against NYC PBA's 2.3. The Fire Wire App also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 20%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). NYC PBA's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 17.4). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Fire Wire App sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. NYC PBA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Fire Wire App holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Fire Wire App has 109 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of The Fire Wire App's written reviews are positive against 20% of NYC PBA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Fire Wire App ships an update monthly, NYC PBA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Fire Wire App versus NYC PBA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Fire Wire AppNYC PBA
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (109 ratings) — better2.3 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews37.9% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings109 — better15
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.414.0.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB69 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperNYC Fire Wire IncPolice Benevolent Association of the City of New York, INC

Customer experience

The Fire Wire App

All ratings109 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral4.6%
Negative33.9%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive37.9%
Neutral10.3%
Negative51.7%

NYC PBA

All ratings12 ratings
Positive41.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative58.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Fire Wire App

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$5.991 Month
None

NYC PBA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Fire Wire App free?
The Fire Wire App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NYC PBA free?
NYC PBA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Fire Wire App or NYC PBA?
The Fire Wire App is rated higher. The Fire Wire App averages 3.5 out of 5 from 109 ratings, while NYC PBA averages 2.3 from 15 ratings.
Do The Fire Wire App or NYC PBA have ads?
Neither The Fire Wire App nor NYC PBA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Fire Wire App or NYC PBA?
The Fire Wire App ships an update monthly, and NYC PBA every 2 months. Most recently, The Fire Wire App was updated on September 18, 2026 and NYC PBA on September 19, 2026.

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