Frequently Asked Questions

Sentinel is a free app that helps you prepare for wildfires. It tracks active fire incidents across the country and lets you forecast how a fire may spread. Sentinel also provides location-based notifications so you can receive important updates and alert rebroadcasts for the places you care about.

Download the app by searching "Sentinel by Ladris" in the App Store or the Google Play Store. The app is free and does not require any signup or login information.

Watch Duty shows where a fire is right now. Sentinel answers the next question: will this fire reach me or my loved ones? For any active fire in the US, Sentinel shows an 8 hour spread forecast, available to all users free of charge. Sentinel provides this predictive intelligence for all fires, regardless of government or volunteer reporter coverage.

Sentinel is also more personalized. You can save as many locations as you like, so you can monitor the specific addresses you care about rather than an entire county. For each location, you get notified when a new fire or evacuation starts nearby. There is no limit on saved locations, so following a loved one’s home across the country or a travel destination does not require dropping a place you already watch.

Through personalization and predictive capabilities, Sentinel enables you to take charge of your safety by predicting your future risk and readiness from the moment a fire ignites.

Sentinel is 100% free. There are no hidden fees and no ads. Ladris believes everyone should have access to accurate, actionable information without the barrier of cost.

No. There's no username, password, or sign-up information required.

We want to be upfront about who we are. Ladris Ready is mission-driven; being a public benefit corporation lets us commit legally to our mission while still operating as a company that can fairly pay and support the people who build Sentinel. We also want Sentinel to remain free in every sense: no download cost, no subscription, and no donations necessary. Your safety should never come with a price tag, not even a suggested one.

Ladris Ready is the public benefit arm of Ladris Technologies, an emergency management company. As a company and a public benefit corporation, Ladris believes every person around the globe should have access to the tools they need to protect themselves, their families, and their property during a disaster. Sentinel is one step in our journey toward making this belief a reality.

After a fire ignites, Sentinel models how it may spread based on current conditions including weather, wind, terrain, and fuel moisture. The forecast lets you visualize how close the future fire spread may come to your current or saved locations so that you can prepare early.

No. Sentinel rebroadcasts official alerts to extend their reach, so more people see them, but it does not replace them. Always follow the direct instructions of your local emergency officials.

Sentinel rebroadcasts official alerts from your county and local emergency officials, so those messages reach more people. It is a tool for emergency preparedness that brings information from various sources into one app, and it is not a replacement for any alerting app you already use. You can try out Sentinel while keeping your county or city notifications turned on, and continuing to use other apps you trust.

No, Sentinel does not collect any personal information. To provide relevant notifications, the app temporarily accesses your location.

Official alerts are rebroadcast through Sentinel everywhere, regardless of partnership, so your alerting reach is extended either way. Partnership provides further opportunities for community-wide messaging.

We partner with jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations with a stake in community wildfire readiness, including those operating critical infrastructure and services. Partners get:

• Location-targeted banners that put your message in front of residents in the areas you serve.
• Co-branding and customization across the Sentinel experience.

To partner, reach out to help@ladrisready.org.

Yes, and it is designed to work in your favor. Sentinel rebroadcasts what your agency has already published, with attribution to you, so more residents see your message. Residents are always pointed back to official sources, and told to follow the direct instructions of local emergency officials. One key outcome is that people in your jurisdiction who never signed up for your alerting system — including people visiting from elsewhere — still receive alerts.

Yes. Sentinel rebroadcasts your official alerts to residents who may not be signed up for your notification system, and partner banners can put your message in front of everyone in the areas you serve. Attribution stays with your agency, so residents know the information came from you. Sentinel increases the reach of official messaging rather than competing with it.

Sentinel increases the reach of your official alerts and messages by rebroadcasting them to residents who may not see them elsewhere. This does not mean we are asking residents to unsubscribe from the systems or apps your jurisdiction has designated. Sentinel is another tool in the toolkit, and official channels are always the primary source.

Fire Safe Councils, community organizations, and other groups serving residents in fire-prone areas can use Sentinel as a free tool to help residents prepare for wildfires. We encourage organizations to share the app with their networks and incorporate it into community preparedness events. If you'd like to host a virtual town hall about the app, we're happy to help facilitate — reach out at help@ladrisready.org.

Sentinel provides various co-branding and customization opportunities, as well as advanced incident notification features, for local government partners. Reach out to help@ladrisready.org to learn more.