Western Fire Chiefs Association Supports AwareCA, Connecting Californians with Trusted Public Safety Information

New statewide platform gives fire and public safety agencies a direct channel to the communities they serve

WILSONVILLE, OR, UNITED STATES, October 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) today announced its support for the launch of AwareCA, a statewide public safety information platform developed by WFCA Corporate Partner Intterra to connect Californians and visitors directly with trusted, authoritative information from public safety agencies.

AwareCA is designed around a straightforward principle: during an emergency, the public should be able to hear directly from the agencies responsible for protecting them.

The free mobile application provides a common statewide destination where participating fire departments and other public safety agencies can share incident information, emergency updates, evacuation information and other critical public safety information with their communities.

“One of the most important responsibilities we have in the fire service is communicating clearly and credibly with the public, especially when conditions are changing quickly,” said Mark Niemeyer, Chief Executive Officer of the Western Fire Chiefs Association. “Technology should strengthen that relationship, not get between the agency and the community. AwareCA gives California agencies another way to communicate directly with the people they serve while maintaining ownership of their information and their authoritative voice.”

Niemeyer, who became WFCA CEO in December 2025 following more than three decades in the fire service, has emphasized collaboration, innovation and practical solutions to the increasingly complex challenges facing fire agencies throughout the West.

Built Around the Public Safety Agency

Unlike platforms built primarily around gathering and republishing emergency information, AwareCA is designed to put public safety agencies at the center of the communication process.

Participating agencies determine what information they publish and maintain control over their data. Community members can use AwareCA to follow incidents and locations important to them, receive notifications based on their preferences, and access information coming directly from participating public safety organizations.

The platform brings together incident information, wildfire activity, evacuation information, agency updates, and other relevant public safety data in a common statewide experience.

For the public, AwareCA is free to download and use, with no advertising or donations required.

For fire departments, AwareCA provides another tool for reaching their communities while supporting established Incident Command System and public-information processes.

“Fire agencies have spent decades building trust within their communities,” Niemeyer added. “When an incident occurs, people should know where the information came from and whether they can trust it. Giving agencies the ability to communicate directly with the public is an important part of maintaining that trust.”

A Growing California Public Safety Network

AwareCA was developed by Intterra in collaboration with California fire service and public safety partners. CAL FIRE selected AwareCA as a statewide public safety information platform earlier this year, and agencies across California have been working to connect their information, train personnel and prepare the platform for public use.

The result is intended to be more than another emergency application. As participation expands, AwareCA creates a common statewide environment where local, regional, and state agencies can communicate with the public while continuing to control their own information.

That model is particularly important during wildfires and other large-scale incidents that routinely cross jurisdictional boundaries and require coordinated response from numerous agencies.

Strengthening the Authoritative Voice of the Fire Service

WFCA and Intterra have worked together for years on initiatives focused on improving how the fire service uses technology and data. Intterra is currently a Corporate Partner of the Western Fire Chiefs Association, supporting WFCA's broader mission of advancing the fire service throughout the western United States.

AwareCA represents a continuation of that work by extending trusted public safety information beyond the emergency operations center and into the hands of the public.

The application also reflects an issue increasingly important to fire chiefs and public information officers: ensuring that authoritative public safety information remains easy to identify as social media, third-party applications, crowdsourced information, and AI-generated content compete for the public's attention.

The goal is not to replace the many channels agencies already use to communicate. It is to give the public a direct, statewide connection to the agencies themselves.

Download AwareCA

AwareCA is available free for iPhone and Android at aware.ca.gov.

California residents and visitors are encouraged to download AwareCA, identify the locations important to them, customize their notification preferences, and use the application as a direct source of information from participating public safety agencies.

Public safety agencies interested in participating in AwareCA can learn more through Intterra.

About the Western Fire Chiefs Association

The Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) represents fire service leadership throughout the western United States and Western Pacific Islands. WFCA works to advance the fire service through leadership, collaboration, innovation, education and advocacy, helping its members protect their communities from fires and other natural, technological and human-caused emergencies.

About Intterra

Intterra is a WFCA Corporate Partner and developer of the Aware public safety ecosystem. Intterra connects agency operations, field personnel, and communities through Aware Intel Hub, Aware Ops, and public information platforms including AwareCA. Its technology is designed to help public safety organizations bring together critical information, improve situational awareness, and communicate authoritative information directly to the communities they serve.

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