Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin is endorsing a new statewide wildfire app that he says will give residents real-time evacuation orders and fire data straight from local agencies.

The free app, called AwareCA, is expected to launch later in September. Cal Fire selected the platform in January as California's official public safety information tool, and the software company Intterra built it, the Pasadena Star-News reported.

"In my mind, [AwareCA] is going to be like WatchDuty but on steroids," Augustin told the Star-News on Sept. 5. "In real time, we can push out evacuation orders, press releases, link it to genasys for evacuation zones and routes …"

Pasadena borders the San Gabriel foothills and saw the Eaton Fire tear through neighborhoods in January 2025. During those L.A. County blazes, about 75 million users visited Cal Fire's website over more than three weeks, and roughly 85% logged on from mobile devices, according to state fire officials.

The app addresses that demand.

AwareCA is map-based. Users can register up to 10 locations, set the size of the area they want to monitor and choose notification preferences. Data feeds for fire perimeters, road closures, evacuation orders and weather are fully automated. The app also offers radio broadcast feeds, videos and tracking of firefighting aircraft in 2D or 3D.

The app is free for residents. Participating fire agencies pay Intterra a licensing fee ranging from $12,000 to $500,000 a year. More than 60 agencies have signed on so far, with another 60 in the process, Intterra CEO Robert Wolf told the Star-News. If all 120 join, the app would cover roughly 75% of California's population.

Whether the Pasadena Fire Department has formally signed a contract with Intterra is not clear from available records. Augustin's endorsement signals the department's interest, but a licensing agreement has not been confirmed.

Cal Fire Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in a January statement that the partnership with Intterra would ensure the public receives accurate, real-time updates directly from Cal Fire and allied responders.

AwareCA is available for download through the AwareCA website and on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Cal Fire's website at fire.ca.gov will stay in sync with the app's updates, Wolf said. Residents can also sign up for zone-based evacuation notifications through Genasys, which the Pasadena Fire Department uses during emergencies.