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When sirens go by or smoke shows up over the hills, the first question is always the same: what is going on? Your phone can answer it in two ways. You can listen to the fire and EMS radio that dispatchers and crews use, streamed live by scanner apps. And you can make sure official emergency alerts reach you the moment authorities send them.
This guide covers both, for the United States and Canada: which apps carry fire department radio, what is free and what is paid, why some departments cannot be heard at all, and how to turn on the official alerts that every phone already has built in.
The short answer
| What you want | Use this | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hear fire and EMS radio | A scanner app such as Squawster or Scanner Radio (Broadcastify feeds) | Free with ads; paid upgrades optional |
| Official emergency alerts (US) | Wireless Emergency Alerts, built into your phone, plus the FEMA app | Free, no sign-up |
| Official emergency alerts (Canada) | Alert Ready, built into compatible phones, plus Alertable for more places | Free |
| Wildfire updates | Watch Duty (US), BC Wildfire Service (British Columbia) | Free |
| Medical calls and CPR requests | PulsePoint Respond, where your 911 center has joined | Free |
One honest warning before you download anything: no app can promise every fire department. Scanner apps only carry channels that someone streams online, and many agencies now use encrypted digital radio that the public cannot hear. Page 2 explains how to check your county before you count on it.
What do you want to follow?
Pick what matters most to you below. The tool shows the app or service that fits, whether it is free, and the one thing to know before you rely on it.
Radio or alerts: which one do you need?
They do different jobs, and most people are better off with both:
- Scanner radio is raw and fast. You hear dispatch tones, units being sent and crews talking as it happens. It is great for curiosity and context, but it is unfiltered, it uses codes, and it never tells you what to do.
- Official alerts are short and clear. They come from emergency managers, the National Weather Service or provincial officials, and they tell you what to do: evacuate, shelter in place, avoid an area. They are the ones to act on.
- Community apps like Watch Duty and PulsePoint sit in between: people or 911 systems turn radio traffic and dispatch data into maps and notifications you can read in seconds.
If you only set up one thing today, make it the official alerts on page 3. They cost nothing and need no app.
