Watch Duty Partners with Sixième Son to Create Life-Saving Wildfire Alert Sound
[Stock photo of the Smith River Complex]
When fire threatens, every second matters. That’s why Watch Duty, the real-time wildfire alert service, partnered with Sixième Son, a global sonic branding agency, to create the audio alert that notifies the public of threats to life or property. Reaching more than 15 million active users across 22 states in the U.S. Northwest, Southwest and Central regions, Watch Duty is the go-to app for people in fire-related emergencies.
“Sound can carry information more quickly than text or visuals, especially in moments of stress. Our goal was not to create frightening sounds, but instead, create clear, firm, and human sonic cues that people instinctively recognize and comprehend,” explains Daina Todorovic, Chief Client Officer US at Sixième Son. “Sixième Son’s expertise in sonic identity has been put in the service of the public good here. By combining design methodology with empathy, the team shaped a soundscape that guides people through fear, preparation, and relief.”
The Watch Duty alert was intentionally designed to be organic in quality and not overly synthetic. Inspired by the sound of a drop of water, the alert is intended to not only break through everyday device noise, but also to reassure and guide communities in moments of crisis.
Unlike traditional phone alerts, which often go unheard or ignored due to “notification fatigue,” Watch Duty’s sound cuts through with distinct tonalities, around 1000 Hz (close to a human voice frequency), optimized for mobile devices.
“Every sound tells a story,” said Watch Duty CEO John Mills. “By working with Sixième Son, we ensure app users receive critical information with clarity, humanity, and trust. These sounds aren’t just alerts, they’re lifelines.”
Watch Duty’s Numbers So Far:
- Watch Duty reached 7.2 million yearly active users in 2024;
- Watch Duty was named in the 2025 TIME100 Most Influential Companies list and ranked as the #1 NGO in 2025 by Fast Company;
- During the Palisades and Eaton fires in January 2025, the app gained 1.4 million new users in just 48 hours, and was widely credited with being a critical lifeline in Los Angeles; and
- The app community now spans 22 wildfire-prone states.
Next, a new, calmer sound will be added to the app’s alerting system. It will be recognizable to Watch Duty users as a cousin of the original tone. The new tone signifies the need to be watchful, when there is still time to prepare for danger, such as a flood or storm.
As climate change increases the frequency and severity of natural disasters, sound is proving to be one of the most inclusive, accessible tools we have: heard instantly across language barriers, reliable even when screens can’t be checked, and powerful enough to wake us when it matters most.
CREDITS
- Founder & President: Michael Boumendil
- US Managing Director: Colleen Fahey
- Chief Client Officer US: Daina Todorovic
- Creative Director: Vincent Turbé
- Artistic Director: Alice Lépine
- Senior UX Designer: Alexis Mangou
ABOUT SIXIÈME SON
Sixième Son is a global sonic branding agency that creates long-lasting sonic identities, designs sonic signals, and provides soundscapes for environmental brand experiences. We have developed 500 sonic identities for brands worldwide. We aim to increase brand value by differentiating each brand, calling attention to it, conveying its values, and making it memorable and successful through sound. Our offices are located in New York, Toronto, Paris, Singapore, and Madrid. Sixième Son operates across all sectors, serving both B2B and B2C clients. Over 2 billion people worldwide hear at least one Sixième Son creation daily.
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
IMHO :
You’re kidding ? Yes ?
>”Sixième Son is a global sonic branding agency that creates long-lasting sonic identities, designs sonic signals, and provides soundscapes for environmental brand experiences.
Watch Duty is an excellent tool…
The only thing about it that I find causes a delay in notification, is that notification does not take place until after the first unit arrives on scene, confirms the existence of the fire reported, and does a size up and relays a radio report that includes fire size in dimensions or acreage to his dispatcher…
A fire or smoke can be reported, but never rise to a watch Duty Alert, if the fire is extinguished by locals, goes out on its own, is unable to be located, (UTL), and or until units eventually arrive on scene, confirm a fires existence, take action, size it up, and report the fire size back to dispatch…
That can take precious time, time enough for the fire to have grown considerably larger, from the time it was first reported, until Watch Duty broadcasts its very useful and extremely important public notification alert tone…
That might be able to be improved upon, if a Watch Duty notification alert, even a different sound alert, was sent out at the time of first report, which would be similar to a fire department “pager tone out”…
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the watch Duty notification very much…
Even a great deal, but the difference between a notification sent upon first report, and a notification sent after units then first arrive on scene, takes precious time, maybe even 10, 15, or 20 minutes, or more, when seconds count, time that could be used for locals to possibly quickly locate extinguish the fire, flag first responding units in quicker,, and or, even make the difference between escaping a quickly moving fire, or not…
Kym Kemp, I know that you are beyond loathe to reply to my comments, but I’ve noticed, during the recent fire season, that if I’m not mistaken, it’s RHBB’s policy to wait to only do a public report on a fire, until after Watch Duty, and/or, scanner traffic CONFIRMS a first report, with a secondary report, making RHBB’s first report, actually the third report…
…please correct me if I am wrong…
I have often seen fire reports pertaining to my area in VERY close proximity, within a mile, and others, reported to the public with a visual red alert notice by Lost Coast Outpost, that don’t even EVER get reported by RHBB, to it’s loyal and faithful readership, such as myself..
Let’s just say, at first, it was a total shocker…
I know I haven’t made a monetary contribution in quite a while, and beggars can’t be choosers, but I certain that many readers, including subscribers, have come to rely heavily on Redheaded Blackbelt for fire notifications, especially…
Each and every time, realizing that you are very busy, I would, as quickly as I possibly could, relay the fire alert, screenshot and LOCO link, to Redheaded Blackbelt, in the comment section, complete with a screenshot of the Lost Coast Outpost’s fire/smoke report’s indicated “dropped pin” location, which they include on a very helpful topo map format, hoping that Kym Kemp would also report on it, on behalf of my neighbors and the rest of my community…
Yet, still, sometimes, there would be no RHBB follow up report, confirming or denying a reported fires existence, or lack thereof…
At least I understand the RHBB “fire/smoke report” reporting policy now…
I’m just not sure that everyone is aware of that…
Why is it so different, so delayed, and so much more discriminating, (as if ONLY reports of fully ripened, spreading fires are newsworthy)…???
Convenience…???
I know you are busy, but…
…YIKES…!!!
I was very surprised and totally unnerved by this policy when I first became aware of RHBB’s practice of delaying public notification until after a reported fire was eventually confirmed by the first arriving responding unit, (which, in my area, can take quite a while), and I would eventually see, by chance, the red alert warning for a fire/smoke report within a mile of my location on Lost Coast Outpost, but nothing ever reported, at all, on Redheaded Blackbelt, either because nothing was ever located, or the locals put it out, before the “fire departments” arrived…
I will dutifully continue to relay fire,/smoke reports I find only on Lost Coast Outpost, or by other means, to the comment section of Redheaded Blackbelt, ASAP, with a link and the topo map/pin drop screenshot, as best and as diligently as I can, as a courtesy to my neighborhood, and to my community, in the interest of public safety…
It’s the least I can do…
Thank you for giving me the opportunity for me to do so…
Sincerely,
TRG
So you claim that Kym is loath to respond, and you spend the 2nd half of your post prattling on about her reporting policies, and you wonder why? Perhaps she has other shit to do today and didn’t get to it yet. People have lives, you know. You are NOT the only person who reports things to her, and not everything is going to make the cut.
A few months back Kym grew weary of TRG’s repeated assertions of lack of integrity and put him on notice she would not respond until he apologized — he responded by asserting it was he who was owed an apology!
So far Kym is standing by her word — she will not respond to TRG until he apologizes — he knows that but continues his futile attempts to bait her into doing so.
Hope springs eternal — from a deep well of narcissism!
IMHO:
What they ‘want to do’ (as far as I can tell) is have sirens or cell phone tones… that broadcast certain er… ‘musical alerts’ to residents ??
Go figure.