DUXBURY FIRE DEPARTMENT
In case of an emergency dial 911
PRIVACY POLICY
duxburyfire.org
The Duxbury Fire Department ("Department," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to our website, duxburyfire.org (the "Website"). This Website is maintained on behalf of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts to provide information about the Department, its personnel, programs, and administrative services to the public. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through the Website, how we use it, and the choices available to you.
By using this Website, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
1.1 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit duxburyfire.org, our website hosting platform may automatically collect standard technical information, including:
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IP address and approximate location
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Browser type and version
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Pages viewed and time spent on the site
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Referring URLs
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Device type and operating system
This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies used by our website platform for site functionality and basic traffic analytics. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, though some features of the site may not function properly as a result.
1.2 Information You Provide Directly
This Website does not include forms that collect personal information directly. If you contact the Department by email (for example, using an email address listed on our Contact page) or by phone, we receive whatever information you choose to include in that communication, such as your name, email address, phone number, and the content of your message.
Certain administrative functions referenced on this Website — including EMS record requests, public records requests, ambulance billing, and employment applications — are handled through the third-party or Town channels identified in Section 4 below, rather than collected directly through this Website.
2. HOW WE USE INFORMATION
We use the information described above to:
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Respond to inquiries submitted by email or phone
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Maintain, secure, and improve the functionality of the Website
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Understand general website usage and traffic patterns
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Comply with applicable public records and other legal obligations
We do not use information collected through this Website for advertising or marketing purposes, and we do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties
3. PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE
The Duxbury Fire Department is a department of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. Records created or received by the Department, including certain emails and written correspondence, may constitute "public records" under the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. c. 66, § 10, and may be subject to disclosure upon request regardless of any expectation of privacy. Please keep this in mind when submitting information to the Department by email or otherwise. This does not apply to protected health information contained in EMS/ambulance patient care records, which is separately protected under HIPAA and related state and federal law and is only released as described in Section 4.
4. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES AND LINKS
This Website links to a number of services that are owned and operated independently of the Department. We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices of these third parties, which include:
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Ambulance billing: Billing and collection for ambulance transport is handled by New England Medical Billing (nembgroup.com), an independent billing company, subject to its own privacy and billing practices.•Public records requests: General public records requests are submitted through the Town of Duxbury's online public records portal, subject to that provider's privacy practices.
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EMS record requests: Requests for EMS/ambulance patient care records are handled directly, in writing, by Department staff and are governed by applicable state and federal health privacy law rather than by this Privacy Policy.
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Employment: Job applications for Town and Department positions are submitted through the Town of Duxbury's employment portal or through LinkedIn, subject to those platforms' privacy policies.
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Care Solace: A link to Care Solace, an independent mental health and wellness referral service, is provided for the community; use of that service is governed by Care Solace's own privacy policy.
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Social media: Our Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube accounts are operated on those respective platforms and are subject to their privacy policies, not this one.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party sites and services before providing any personal information to them.
5. COOKIES AND ANALYTICS
This Website is built and hosted on the Wix platform, which may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the site and collect basic analytics. Our ability to modify certain aspects of this collection is limited, as it is provided by our third-party hosting platform.
6. DATA SECURITY
We take reasonable steps to protect information transmitted through this Website, but no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. In the event of a data breach affecting personal information maintained by the Department, we will provide notification as required under the Massachusetts data breach notification law, M.G.L. c. 93H.
7. ACCESSIBILITY
The Town of Duxbury is committed to ensuring this Website is accessible to all residents, including individuals with disabilities, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you encounter an accessibility barrier on this site, or have feedback related to the Town's ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan, please contact the Department using the information in Section 10.
8. EMERGENCY USE NOTICE
This Website is not monitored 24 hours a day and is not a substitute for emergency services. If you have a fire, medical, or other emergency, dial 911 immediately. Do not use this Website, email, or social media to report an active emergency.
9. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
This Website is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children online. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us so that we can address it.
10. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.
11. CONTACT US
Duxbury Fire Department
668 Tremont Street, Duxbury, MA 02332
Phone: (781) 934-5693
Website: duxburyfire.org
Contact page: duxburyfire.org/contact