Amazon’s Ring has unveiled a new safety feature at CES aimed at improving how communities receive information during active wildfire events. The new tool, called Ring Fire Watch, is designed to provide earlier and more detailed insights into how fires are spreading by combining smart camera technology with community participation.
Ring Fire Watch allows camera owners to voluntarily contribute snapshots from their outdoor cameras during a wildfire. These images can be shared with Watch Duty, a non-profit organisation that provides real-time fire updates to the public and emergency services through its mobile app. The goal is to supplement existing data sources with more localised visual information from residential areas.
When Watch Duty confirms the presence of a fire, users in affected areas will receive notifications through the Ring or Neighbours app, alerting them to potential danger nearby. At the same time, compatible outdoor Ring cameras can automatically begin scanning for visual signs of smoke or flames. If detected, the system sends an alert to the user. This automated detection relies on AI analysis and requires an active Ring Protect subscription.
Participation in Fire Watch is entirely optional. During an active fire event, Ring users located within the alert zone can choose whether to share snapshots from their cameras. Ring says this approach is intended to balance privacy with the potential benefits of providing emergency services and communities with faster, more detailed situational awareness.
By combining early alerts, AI-based detection and voluntary image sharing, Ring believes Fire Watch can help identify the movement of wildfires sooner than traditional monitoring methods alone. The company argues that this type of street-level visibility can complement broader data sources such as satellite imagery and traffic cameras.
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff has spoken about the personal motivation behind the feature. The garage where he originally started Ring was destroyed in the Palisades fire last year, giving him first-hand experience of the impact of fast-moving wildfires. He believes access to more detailed and timely information can lead to better outcomes for both residents and emergency responders.
Siminoff noted that during previous fires, authorities often relied on large-scale data sources that lacked neighbourhood-level detail. With thousands of Ring cameras potentially operating within a fire zone, Fire Watch could offer more precise insights into spot fires and changing conditions. He hopes this information will help emergency services allocate resources more effectively and slow the spread of fires before they escalate.
Ring has not announced any additional cost for Fire Watch beyond the existing Ring Protect subscription required for AI-based detection features. The company says the feature reflects its broader push to use connected devices and artificial intelligence to improve community safety during natural disasters.
