Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority

Follow official sources

8.10.25, 3:00 p.m. – We know many people use WatchDuty to follow wildfire activity. It’s a fantastic tool for situational awareness, and we appreciate the dedicated volunteers who help keep it updated.

However, WatchDuty is a third-party app — meaning it is not an official emergency alert source. While it’s great for general awareness, the information is not verified by official sources and may be delayed or incomplete.

Emergency Notifications come directly from your local 911 center in coordination with responders on the ground. These alerts are:

Official and verified

Issued only for serious, confirmed threats to life or safety

Designed to tell you exactly what action to take (evacuate, shelter in place, avoid an area, etc.)

Bottom line:

WatchDuty can be used to monitor developing situations but should NOT be used in place of official, local sources. Be aware that information may not be timely, accurate, complete, and that things like maps are not coming directly from the official source.

Sign up for emergency notifications at garco911.com, follow @GarCo911 and @GarcoSheriff as well your local Police Department social media page, and check the Garfield County Emergency Operations Center website (www.garfieldcounty.net) for official instructions you can trust when seconds matter.

Make sure your Everbridge account is up to date and that Emergency and Public Safety Alerts are ON in your phone settings so you don’t miss critical messages.