How We Built Watch Duty, the Lifesaving Wildfire Alert App | John Mills | TED

(Helicopter blades whirring) Just one month after moving off the grid in Northern California, I was alerted by this sound.

I went outside to investigate to find this helicopter circling.

That's when I realized my neighbor's ranch had a wildfire running through it.

The pilot started waving at me, probably to evacuate, but I stupidly grabbed my garden hose and started watering down my house instead.

Shortly after that, a huge air tanker flew directly over my head.

I watched the bomb bay doors open as the retardant went flying.

(Birds chirping) And then the airspace cleared, and there was nothing left but silence.

There was nothing on the news, there was no alert on my phone.

And that's when it hit me, like 25,000 pounds of retardant raining down on me, I was out here alone, on my own, with only two choices.

As you probably guessed, I wasn't invited here today to tell you the story about how I quit.

(Laughter) So, like the Boy Scout that I was, I began preparing for the next inevitable wildfire.