Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how Halifax Fire Alerts ("Halifax Fire Alerts", "the app", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application. Halifax Fire Alerts is a community app that lets you follow local fire and emergency incidents and share community reports. Reading the feed is open to everyone; you only provide personal information if you choose to create an account or post.

Halifax Fire Alerts is an information tool built on public dispatch and community data. It is not a 911 or emergency dispatch service and its information may be delayed or incomplete. In an emergency, always call 911.

2. Information We Collect

2.1. Personal Data

When you create an account or use interactive features, we may collect:

• Email address (used for account sign-in via Firebase Authentication)
• Profile information you provide — display name, @handle, and an optional bio and profile photo
• Content you create — community reports, comments, and likes, including any details or location you choose to add to a report
• Notification preferences and device push tokens (if you enable notifications)
• Approximate location — only when you tap "Use my location" while filing a report (see Section 2.4)

You can browse the app as a guest without an account. In that case an anonymous identifier is created for your session, and no personal information is collected until you register.

2.2. Usage Data

When you use the app, our infrastructure providers may automatically collect limited technical data needed to operate and secure the service, which may include:

• IP address
• Device information, such as device model and operating system version
• Unique device identifiers and push notification tokens
• Diagnostic and error data

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use third-party advertising or analytics/tracking SDKs.

2.3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Halifax Fire Alerts mobile app does not use cookies or similar technologies for advertising or cross-app tracking. We use standard on-device storage only to keep you signed in and to remember your preferences.

2.4. Location Information

Location is used solely when you tap "Use my location" while filing a report. When you do, we capture your approximate coordinates and convert them to a nearby street or area name (using the OpenStreetMap Nominatim service). We do not track your location in the background or at any other time.

3. Use of Data

Halifax Fire Alerts uses the collected data for the following purposes:

• To provide, operate, and maintain the incident feed, community, and your account
• To deliver the push notifications you choose to enable
• To allow you to participate in interactive features when you choose to do so
• To moderate content and keep the community safe
• To provide customer support and respond to your requests
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and abuse
• To notify you about changes to our app

4. Data Security

The security of your data is important to us. Data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) and protected with server-side access rules. However, remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

5. Disclosure of Data

Other users. Content you post — reports, comments, your display name, and @handle — is public within the app and visible to other users.

Halifax Fire Alerts may also disclose your personal data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

• Comply with a legal obligation
• Protect and defend the rights or property of Halifax Fire Alerts
• Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the app
• Protect the personal safety of users of the app or the public
• Protect against legal liability

6. Your Data Protection Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• The right to access, update, or delete the information we have about you
• The right of rectification (to correct inaccurate information)
• The right to object to our processing of your personal data
• The right of restriction
• The right to data portability
• The right to withdraw consent

You can edit your profile, delete comments you've made, sign out at any time, and request account deletion from within your profile. You can also turn notifications on or off. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address in Section 11.

7. Service Providers

We employ third-party companies to facilitate our app, to provide the app on our behalf, to perform app-related services, or to help us operate the app. These third parties have access to your personal data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. Our service providers include:

• Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore database, Cloud Messaging, and Cloud Functions) — to run the app and store data on Google Cloud infrastructure
• Apple Push Notification service and Firebase Cloud Messaging — to deliver the notifications you opt into
• OpenStreetMap (Nominatim) — to convert report coordinates into place names

8. Links to Other Sites

Our app may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

9. Children's Privacy

Our app is not directed to anyone under the age of 13 ("Children"). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so that we can take appropriate action.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and revising the "Last updated" date at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to access, correct, or delete your personal information, please contact us:

• Email: anthonyprobert17@gmail.com