Privacy Policy

This website is not monitored as an emergency reporting system. If you have an emergency, call 911. Do not use a website form, email, or social media message to request emergency response.

If you submit a membership application, we may collect the information requested on the application form, including:

• name, address, phone number, email address, and membership type;
• date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license number, gender, marital status, and related screening details;
• employment, department affiliation, background check consent, criminal record disclosures, health or medical disclosures, and other information you choose to provide;
• reference and emergency contact names, relationships, and phone numbers; and
• skills, qualifications, certifications, and other application notes.

If a contact form is available on the website, we may collect the name, email address, phone number, and message you submit. If you email or call us directly, we may keep the information needed to respond.

We may also receive basic technical information from our website hosting provider and from Google Forms, such as device, browser, IP address, timestamp, and submission-related records.

Some membership application fields request sensitive information, including Social Security number, driver's license number, date of birth, health disclosures, criminal record disclosures, and background check consent. We request this information for identity verification, membership eligibility, background review, emergency contact coordination, department safety, and required recordkeeping.

Do not submit Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, medical details, or background information through a general contact form, email, social media message, or any free-text field unless that field specifically asks for it.

We use submitted information to:

• review and follow up on membership applications;
• coordinate screening, background review, references, and onboarding;
• respond to non-emergency questions or department business;
• maintain department records and protect the integrity of our forms;
• comply with legal, safety, operational, and recordkeeping obligations.

We do not sell personal information and we do not use application information for advertising.

Membership applications are submitted to a department-managed Google Form. Google may process information as part of providing Google Forms and related Google services. Google publishes security information for Forms, including encryption in transit and at rest for files created in Forms. Google also states that Forms content is not used for advertising purposes and that Google does not sell personal information to third parties.

You can review Google's privacy and security information at Google Privacy Policy and Google Forms.

The membership application may store a timestamp in your browser using local storage after submission. This is used only to slow repeated submissions from the same browser. It does not identify you to the public and is not used for advertising or analytics.

We limit access to application and contact information to authorized department personnel and service providers who need it for department business. Service providers may include Google Forms, website hosting providers, email or phone providers, and background or screening providers.

We may share information with references, screening providers, government agencies, law enforcement, or other parties when needed for membership review, safety, legal compliance, a court order, subpoena, public records requirement, or with your consent.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for information submitted through this website. No website, form provider, email system, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

We keep information only as long as needed for membership review, department operations, legal compliance, safety, recordkeeping, or dispute resolution. When information is no longer needed, we aim to delete it, restrict access, or dispose of it securely.

If we learn of a security incident involving information submitted through this website, we will review the incident and take steps required by applicable law. Depending on the facts, this may include notifying affected people, service providers, law enforcement, the North Carolina Attorney General's Office, or other appropriate parties.

Junior firefighter applicants and other applicants under 18 should submit information only with permission from a parent or legal guardian. This website is not intended to collect information from children under 13. Children under 13 should not submit membership applications, contact forms, or other personal information through this website.

You may contact us to ask about information you submitted, request a correction, or ask whether information can be deleted. Some records may need to be kept for safety, legal, operational, or recordkeeping reasons.

We may update this policy as website features, forms, providers, or department practices change. The updated date above shows when this policy was last revised.

Return to the membership application.