Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) collects, uses, and protects information through the Project S.P.A.R.K. mobile app ("the App"). Project S.P.A.R.K. is a public fire-safety information app — you can use most of it without creating an account.

Information we collect

• Account information (optional). If you choose to create an account, we collect your email address, display name, and a securely hashed password. Creating an account is never required to use the App.
• App activity. We store the fire safety articles you bookmark and your quiz results, so your progress is available the next time you open the App. For guests, this is stored only on your device; for signed-in citizens, it is also synced to your account.
• Region/city selection. The city or municipality you select is used to show you relevant Alerts and to sort the fire station directory.
• Device location. With your permission, the App reads your device's approximate location to show your distance to nearby fire stations. This calculation happens entirely on your device — your location is never sent to or stored on our servers.
• Push notification token. If you allow notifications, we use Firebase Cloud Messaging to deliver Alerts to your device. This requires a device token, which is used solely to route notifications.

How we use this information

We use the information above only to operate the App: to show you relevant safety Alerts, to let you save articles and track quiz progress, to authenticate your account if you create one, and to deliver push notifications you've opted into. We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Third parties

We use Firebase (Google) to deliver push notifications and for crash reporting. Firebase acts as our service provider and does not independently use your data for its own purposes. We do not share your information with any other third party.

Your choices

• The App is fully usable as a guest — an account is entirely optional.
• You can disable location access or notifications at any time in your device settings, without losing access to the rest of the App.
• You can permanently delete your account and all associated personal data at any time, from Settings inside the App or at https://bfp-project-spark.duckdns.org/account-deletion.

Data retention

Account data is retained until you delete your account. Guest data stored only on your device is removed when you uninstall the App or clear its storage.

Children's privacy

Project S.P.A.R.K. is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children beyond what is described above.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating this page.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to bfp.project.spark@gmail.com.