1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a binding legal agreement between you (either an individual or an entity) and Beacon35 regarding your use of our fire department management platform and related services.

2. Service Description

Beacon35 provides a cloud-based fire department management platform designed for fire departments and emergency services. Our services include incident reporting, NERIS-compliant reports, truck checks, hydrant management, property inspections, personnel rostering, equipment inventory, calendar and scheduling, training records, and AI-assisted document processing. The platform is hosted and maintained by Beacon35 with automatic updates and security monitoring. Department administrators can download a complete copy of their department's data at any time using the built-in Backup & Export tool.

3. Account Registration

To use Beacon35, you must:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Maintain the security and confidentiality of your login credentials
• Be authorized to create an account on behalf of your organization
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access or security breach

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree to use Beacon35 only for lawful purposes. You may NOT:

• Engage in any illegal activities or violate any applicable laws
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' accounts
• Upload or transmit viruses, malware, or other malicious code
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software
• Use automated systems to access the service without permission
• Resell or redistribute the service without written authorization
• Remove or obscure any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notices

5. Data Ownership and Licensing

Your Data

You retain all ownership rights to data you input into Beacon35 ("Your Data"). You are solely responsible for the accuracy, quality, and legality of Your Data.

Data License

You grant Beacon35 a limited license to host, copy, transmit, and display Your Data solely to provide and improve the service. This license terminates when you delete Your Data or close your account.

6. Subscription and Payment

Free Volunteer Plan

Beacon35 offers a free plan ("Volunteer Plan") to fire departments that are staffed 100% by volunteers, with no paid or career operational personnel. By enrolling in the Volunteer Plan, you certify that your department meets this requirement and agree to re-certify annually. In addition to all other provisions of these Terms, the following applies specifically to the Volunteer Plan:

• No fees, no warranty, no SLA. The Volunteer Plan is provided free of charge, "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE," with no warranty of any kind, no uptime commitment, and no service-level agreement. Support is provided on a best-effort basis only.
• No assumption of risk. Beacon35 assumes no risk, liability, or responsibility of any kind in connection with your department's use of the Volunteer Plan. Because you pay us nothing, our total aggregate liability to Volunteer Plan users is zero dollars ($0) to the maximum extent permitted by law.
• Your records are your responsibility. You are solely responsible for maintaining independent copies and backups of any records your department is required to keep, and for compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local record-keeping and reporting requirements (including NERIS/NFIRS). The in-app Backup & Export tool is provided to make this easy — we encourage regular downloads.
• Service changes. We may modify, limit, suspend, or discontinue the Volunteer Plan (or any feature of it) at any time. Where practical, we will provide reasonable advance notice and an opportunity to export Your Data.
• Eligibility changes. If your department hires paid operational staff, it no longer qualifies for the Volunteer Plan and must contact Beacon35 within 60 days to arrange a subscription. Misrepresenting eligibility is grounds for immediate termination.

Fees

The Volunteer Plan is Beacon35's only standard plan and is free of charge. Departments that do not qualify for the Volunteer Plan may contact Beacon35 to arrange a subscription; fees, billing frequency, and terms for such subscriptions are set out in the applicable order or agreement. All fees are non-refundable except as required by law.

Price Changes

For contact-arranged subscriptions, we may change pricing with 30 days' notice. Price changes will apply to renewals after the notice period.

Late Payment

Failure to pay fees may result in suspension or termination of your account.

7. Service Availability

Uptime

We strive for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted service. Scheduled maintenance will be communicated in advance when possible.

8. Termination

By You

You may terminate your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us.

By Beacon35

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms
• Fail to pay fees
• Engage in fraudulent or illegal activities
• Create security or legal risks for Beacon35 or other users

Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your right to use Beacon35 immediately ceases
• For hosted services, you have 30 days to export Your Data (the Backup & Export tool lets department administrators download a complete copy)
• After 30 days, we may permanently delete Your Data
• No refunds will be issued for prepaid fees

9. Warranty Disclaimer

BEACON35 IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
• Non-infringement
• Uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free operation
• Accuracy or completeness of information
• Suitability for emergency response, dispatch, or life-safety operations (for which the platform is expressly not intended)
• Compliance of generated reports or exports with any regulatory or reporting standard (including NERIS/NFIRS) — you are responsible for reviewing and verifying all records before submission

AI-generated content: Narratives, summaries, and data extracted or drafted by AI features are provided for convenience only, may contain errors, and must be reviewed, corrected, and approved by qualified department personnel before any official use. Beacon35 assumes no responsibility for AI-generated content.

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

• Beacon35 shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim. For departments on the free Volunteer Plan, this amount is zero dollars ($0)
• Beacon35 assumes no risk or liability for any injury, death, property damage, missed response, regulatory penalty, or other loss arising from or related to the use of, reliance on, or unavailability of the platform
• We are not responsible for damages resulting from:
  • Service interruptions, outages, or data loss
  • Reliance on the platform for dispatch, alerting, or any emergency or time-critical purpose
  • Errors or omissions in records, reports, exports, or AI-generated content
  • Unauthorized access to your account
  • Third-party actions or integrations
  • Your use or misuse of the service

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations of liability; in those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the smallest amount permitted by law. These limitations reflect the fact that Beacon35 is offered free of charge to volunteer departments and are an essential basis of the bargain between you and Beacon35.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Beacon35 from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any law or third-party rights
• Your Data or use of the service

12. Third-Party Services

Beacon35 may integrate with third-party services such as CAD systems, AI providers, and messaging platforms. Your use of these integrations is subject to their respective terms and policies. Beacon35 is not responsible for third-party services.

13. Intellectual Property

Beacon35 retains all rights, title, and interest in the software, including all intellectual property rights. These Terms do not grant you any rights to our trademarks or branding.

14. Modifications to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or through the service. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Missouri, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Dispute Resolution

Any disputes shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in St. Louis County, Missouri.

16. General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Beacon35.

Severability

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect.

No Waiver

Failure to enforce any right or provision does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

Assignment

You may not assign these Terms without our written consent. We may assign these Terms at any time.

17. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, please contact us:

• Via our contact form
• Email: legal@beacon35.com