New free app monitors fire danger

AUSTIN (KXAN) - There’s a website that promises to make staying prepared for a wildfire “fun and easy.”

Thursday officials unveiled the city of Austin’s participation in the website www.prepared.ly . It is collaboration between the city and the nonprofit group Code for America .

"In a nutshell, you are going to see that you can go online, enter a location and get your risk in terms of wildfire as well as getting all sorts of tips and information on how to mitigate that risk," said Austin City Councilwoman Laura Morrison.

The free service utilizes and accesses data from government agencies in real time.

The city, The Texas Forest Service and National Weather Service and other agencies share information on the website on things like burn bans, wind speed and humidity.

The incoming information processes the fire risk, and then offers suggestions to homeowners about how to protect their properties.

According to the website, residents will be able to “visualize your home’s proximity to the Wildland Urban Interface, understand local conditions and view your estimated real-time risk.”

It’s the latest effort by the Austin Fire Department to be proactive.

"We want to prevent these emergencies from happening as opposed to responding to them," said Councilman Mike Martinez, who is also a retired firefighter.

This website also allows residents to schedule on-site consultations at their homes with wildfire experts, and share information with neighbors and friends on prevention efforts and community cleanup days.

The city hopes to add a Spanish language portal to the website in the future.

For those Austin residents without Internet access, officials suggest accessing the service at any public library.