Terms of service

1.1 These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and FireMic LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company ("FireMic", "we", "us" or "our").

1.2 These Terms cover fire-mic.com and its subdomains, the FireMic app at app.fire-mic.com including its station modules, the anonymous trial, and the free NERIS reference tools (together, the "Service").

1.3 "You" means the person using the Service. If you use the Service for a fire department, fire district, fire company or similar organization (a "Department"), "you" also means that Department, and you confirm that you are authorized to accept these Terms for it.

1.4 A software company's use of the partner API or the hosted mic page is governed by a separate written agreement with FireMic (a "Partner Agreement") and by section 11.

1.5 How you accept these Terms. When you sign in with Google, or continue with a department code, the app shows the line "By continuing, you agree to FireMic's Terms and Privacy Policy" with a link to each, and continuing means you accept them. The anonymous trial has no sign-in and does not ask you to accept anything. If you use the trial, these Terms, as published on this page, govern that use, and you accept them by using it. If you use the website, these Terms govern that use in the same way.

1.6 Order of precedence. If documents conflict, this order applies: a signed order form or Department agreement; a signed data processing agreement or business associate agreement; a signed Partner Agreement; these Terms; the Privacy Policy; any other page on our website.

1.7 The Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information and is part of these Terms. Our security page describes our controls and is not a warranty.

2.1 You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service, except that a member of a Department's junior or explorer program may use the app as a member of that Department's roster, with the Department's authorization and under its supervision.

2.2 No one under 13 may use the Service.

2.3 The anonymous trial is for adults only.

2.4 The Service is built for fire departments in the United States, for reporting to NERIS, a US federal system. We do not represent that it is suitable for use elsewhere.

2.5 To connect a Department to NERIS, approve members, change Department settings, or accept these Terms for a Department, you must be authorized by that Department to do so.

2.6 You will give accurate information about who you are and which Department you belong to.

2.7 If the Department is a government body, section 19 also applies.

3.1 Reports, transcripts, attachments and station records created for a Department are that Department's records, whether the Department or an individual member pays for the Service.

3.2 Every member of a Department in the Service can read that Department's reports. Only the member who created a report can edit it, except older reports created before members had their own sign-in, which any member of the Department can edit.

3.3 A member who joins through the public sign-up path must be approved by an officer of the Department, or by FireMic support, before filing to NERIS.

3.4 Officers and admins set a PIN. We store it only as a one-way hash and cannot read it back. Firefighter sessions last up to 30 days, and officer and admin sessions up to 12 hours. On a shared station tablet, each browser tab is its own session. When a Department deactivates a member, the member loses access on their next action, and the reports they created stay with the Department.

3.5 Some accounts created before Google sign-in use an email address and password. We no longer open new password accounts, and existing ones still work.

3.6 You are responsible for activity under your account and for keeping your sign-in details, PIN and devices secure. Tell your Department, and us, promptly if you think someone else has used them. A Department is responsible for the people it adds to its roster and for removing them when they leave.

3.7 A Department can require officer review before reports are filed. Whether to turn it on is the Department's choice.

4.1 The Service records a spoken or typed account of an incident, turns it into text, drafts NERIS fields from that text, shows the draft for review and editing, and, when a user chooses, submits the report to NERIS.

4.2 The Service also lets a Department keep station records: training and attendance, who responded to each call, pre-incident plans, apparatus checks, hydrant inspections and flow tests, member exposure records and monthly notes. These records are not sent to NERIS or anywhere else.

4.3 The Service is not a complete records management system, a dispatch system or a patient care reporting system, and it does not replace the software your Department already uses. Nothing the Service produces is medical, legal, investigative or fire-cause advice.

5.1 Our commitments. FireMic will:

(a) show the person filing the complete draft before submitting it to NERIS;

(b) submit a report to NERIS only when a signed-in user chooses to, and never on a schedule or in the background;

(c) mark the fields the Service filled in;

(d) when a field NERIS requires is empty, ask for it rather than submit a default value;

(e) label a report that went to a test department, or that was only validated, so it is not mistaken for a filing to your Department's record;

(f) never ask for any person's NERIS password; and

(g) handle Customer Data as section 8 and the Privacy Policy describe.

5.2 Your responsibilities. You and the Department are responsible for:

(a) reviewing each draft and confirming that it is accurate and complete before you submit it;

(b) the content of every report submitted through your account, which is the Department's record;

(c) correcting a filed report when you learn it is wrong, through the Service or through NERIS;

(d) deciding who may use the Service, what they record, and whether officer review is required; and

(e) using the Service in line with the Department's policies and the laws that apply to its records, including public records, records retention and health privacy laws.

5.3 Automated drafts. The Service uses automated transcription and AI models to prepare drafts. Drafts can contain errors, including misheard names and addresses, wrong incident types, and statements that sound certain but are wrong. A draft is not a statement of fact by FireMic. Apart from the commitments in section 5.1, FireMic does not promise that any draft, transcript or filed report is accurate or complete (see section 16).

6.1 NERIS is operated by the US Fire Administration with the Fire Safety Research Institute. FireMic is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of USFA, FSRI, FEMA, any state fire marshal or any other government agency. Your Department's use of NERIS is governed by NERIS's own terms.

6.2 To file to a Department's NERIS record, a person with the Admin role at the Department enrolls FireMic's Client ID inside NERIS. The Client ID is not a secret. The Department can withdraw the enrollment inside NERIS at any time without involving us, and FireMic then cannot file for it. FireMic connects to NERIS as itself and never receives any person's NERIS username or password.

6.3 What counts as filed. A report is filed for your Department only when the app shows it as sent to your Department's own NERIS record. If NERIS refuses a filing because the Department has not authorized FireMic, the Service may send the report to FireMic's own test department instead and labels it "Sent to test department". A report sent to the test department, or labelled "Validated (test mode)", is not a filing for your Department and does not meet any reporting obligation.

6.5 FireMic does not control NERIS's availability, rules or decisions. When NERIS is unavailable, no software can file until it is back. When NERIS refuses a report, the Service shows the reason NERIS gives, in plain language where it can.

6.6 A report filed to NERIS is held by NERIS under the Department and does not depend on FireMic. FireMic cannot delete a NERIS record. Corrections go through NERIS, or through an amended filing from the Service where NERIS allows it.

7.1 You can use the trial without an account, and nothing is charged during it. Trial drafts are stored apart from every Department's records.

7.2 A trial report can be filed only to FireMic's own test department in NERIS's test system. FireMic's server chooses that destination, nothing your browser sends can change it, and the server refuses to file unless it is connected to NERIS's test system.

7.3 A trial draft that is not filed is deleted 30 days after it is created, unless you sign in and claim it. A trial report that reached NERIS's test system is kept, with its transcript, until deleted, and FireMic's team reads these reports to see how FireMic handles real calls. Ask us and we will delete our copy. NERIS keeps its own.

7.4 Anonymous trial recordings are never used as training data.

7.5 Use the trial only for calls you are allowed to record. If your Department's rules keep incident information on Department systems, ask your Department first. Please leave patient names out of a trial recording.

8.1 "Customer Data" means the recordings, transcripts, reports, attachments, station records and other content that you or your Department submit to the Service, and the drafts the Service produces from them.

8.2 Ownership. As between you, the Department and FireMic, the Department owns the Customer Data created for it. FireMic claims no ownership of Customer Data.

8.3 Licence. You grant FireMic a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, copy, process, transmit, display and back up Customer Data as needed to provide, secure, support and improve the Service, and to comply with law.

8.4 Trial data. Anonymous trial recordings are never used as training data.

8.5 No sale, no advertising. FireMic does not sell personal information and does not use Customer Data for advertising.

8.6 Who at FireMic sees it. FireMic's staff can technically reach the database. They look at Customer Data only to support you, keep the Service working and secure, review trial filings, or comply with law.

8.7 Security. FireMic protects Customer Data with reasonable administrative and technical safeguards, which our security page describes. FireMic does not hold SOC 2, ISO 27001 or any equivalent certification. If FireMic confirms a security incident that exposed a Department's Customer Data, it will notify the Department without undue delay, and within 72 hours of confirming it.

8.8 Requests from others. If FireMic receives a subpoena, court order or public records request for a Department's Customer Data, it will refer the requester to the Department where it can, and will tell the Department before disclosing anything unless the law forbids it.

8.9 Export. A Department can export its reports as a spreadsheet file and as printable reports.

8.10 Deletion. When an authorized Department admin asks in writing, FireMic will delete the Department's Customer Data from its systems within 30 days. This does not reach reports filed to NERIS, data the law requires FireMic to keep, or backup copies, which are overwritten on our database provider's schedule.

8.11 Usage data. FireMic records how the Service is used, such as which steps were reached and when, without report content, and uses it to run and improve the Service as the Privacy Policy describes.

8.12 Feedback. If you send us suggestions, we may use them without obligation to you.

9.1 FireMic does not claim HIPAA compliance.

9.2 Whether HIPAA, or a state law on health or medical information, applies to a Department and its use of the Service is for the Department to determine.

9.3 If a Department needs a business associate agreement, or has questions about how the Service handles patient information, it can ask FireMic, and FireMic will answer in writing. A signed business associate agreement takes precedence over these Terms (section 1.6).

9.4 Station exposure records can include health information about a Department's own members, such as symptoms. The Department handles that information under its own policies and the laws that apply to it.

You will not, and will not help anyone else to:

(a) file or draft reports for a Department you are not a member of, or misrepresent who you are on a roster;

(b) submit information you know to be false to NERIS or any other system through the Service;

(c) record another person, or any conversation, without the consent the law requires (some states require the consent of everyone recorded);

(d) access or try to access another Department's data, or any account, draft or report that is not yours;

(e) probe, scan or test the security of the Service, except by reporting what you find to us as our security page describes;

(f) copy, scrape, resell or automate access to the Service, or put load on it beyond normal use, except through the partner API under section 11;

(g) reverse engineer the Service, except where the law allows it despite this restriction;

(h) upload anything unlawful, or anything that infringes someone else's rights; or

(i) use the Service in a way that breaks the law or NERIS's rules.

FireMic may limit how often the Service can be used, to keep it available and to control cost. This section does not limit your use of the free reference tools under section 13.3.

11.1 A software company's use of the partner API, the hosted mic page and any live key is governed by its Partner Agreement. Live keys are issued under a signed Partner Agreement.

11.2 A sandbox key is for building and testing an integration only, and not for live use. Send only test narrations, or narrations you are authorized to send to FireMic. FireMic may change, limit or revoke a sandbox key at any time, and sandbox use is provided as is. Sandbox use is governed by these Terms and by any agreement FireMic signs with the software company.

11.3 FireMic does not submit to NERIS through the partner API, and the partner surface cannot reach FireMic's NERIS connection.

11.4 FireMic processes narrations sent through the partner API on the software company's behalf, as the Partner Agreement and the "Data handling" section of the API reference describe. The software company is responsible for its own notices to, and permissions from, its users and their Departments.

12.1 Current prices are stated only on the pricing page at fire-mic.com/pricing. Fees for a Department or a software company may instead be set in a signed order form or Partner Agreement.

12.2 Nothing is charged during the trial. There is no payment step in the product today. FireMic will not charge you until you have agreed to the price and the billing terms.

12.3 FireMic will give at least 30 days' notice, by email or in the app, before changing a price that applies to you. A price change never applies to a period you have already paid for.

12.4 Fees do not include taxes. If a tax applies and you are not exempt, you pay it or give us a valid exemption certificate.

13.1 FireMic and its licensors own the Service, including its software, prompts, design, text and trademarks. Subject to these Terms, FireMic gives you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the Service for its intended purpose.

13.2 The reference tools republish data from NERIS's published schema and its public department directory. NERIS is the authoritative source for that data. FireMic does not promise that the reference tools are complete or current.

13.3 You may link to, quote, print and teach from the free reference tools without an account. You may not republish them in bulk as your own or remove the credit to NERIS.

13.4 The "NERIS V1 Data Exchange Compatible" badge means that FireMic meets the technical requirements for connecting to the NERIS V1 API. It is not a certification or endorsement of FireMic.

14.1 FireMic does not offer an uptime or service-level commitment unless a signed agreement includes one.

14.2 The Service depends on NERIS and on third-party providers, and may be unavailable when they are.

14.3 Drafts save automatically while you work. Outside the trial, the app keeps a copy of each recording in your browser's storage on your device until the report is ready. A recording made without signal waits there and uploads when the app is open and connected again. If processing fails, you can download the recording. These are safeguards, not guarantees.

14.4 FireMic may change, add or remove features. If FireMic removes a feature that is material to a paid subscription, it will tell the affected Departments at least 30 days before. Features labelled as a test, preview or pilot may change or end without notice.

14.5 Support is by email, phone and text through the contact links on our website. We do not commit to response times.

15.1 You may stop using the Service at any time. A Department may end its use by telling FireMic in writing.

15.2 FireMic may suspend or end your access if you materially break these Terms, if your use puts the Service, other users or NERIS at risk, if agreed fees go unpaid, or if the law requires it. Except where the law or an urgent security risk prevents it, FireMic will tell you why and give you a reasonable chance to fix the problem first.

15.3 For 90 days after a Department's use ends, its officers and admins can still sign in to read and export its reports. After that, FireMic may delete the Department's data, and it will delete it on request as section 8.10 describes.

15.4 If FireMic decides to stop offering the Service, it will give Departments at least 60 days' notice and the chance to export their data.

15.5 Reports filed to NERIS remain in NERIS after your use ends.

15.6 Sections 5.2, 5.3, 8, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 22, and any unpaid fees, survive the end of these Terms.

16.1 Except for the commitments in sections 5.1 and 8, the Service, including every transcript, draft, reference tool and other output, is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent permitted by law, FireMic disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement and accuracy, and any warranty arising from a course of dealing or usage of trade.

16.2 FireMic does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure, that drafts or transcripts will be accurate or complete, or that NERIS will accept any report.

16.3 Some jurisdictions do not allow some of these disclaimers. Where that is the case, the disclaimers apply to the fullest extent allowed.

17.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, FireMic is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, goodwill or data, or the cost of substitute services, arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service, however caused, even if FireMic was told they were possible.

17.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, FireMic's total liability arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service is limited to the amount you or your Department paid FireMic for the Service in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim.

17.3 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

17.4 These limits reflect that much of the Service is offered free or at low cost, that a person reviews every report before it is filed, and that FireMic does not control NERIS.

18.1 You will defend and indemnify FireMic LLC, and its members, managers, employees and contractors, against third-party claims, and the resulting losses and reasonable costs, to the extent they arise from (a) your breach of section 10, (b) information you submitted knowing it was false, or (c) recordings or data you submitted without a right or consent the law requires.

18.2 FireMic will notify you promptly of a claim, let you control its defence, and cooperate at your expense. You will not settle a claim in a way that admits fault for FireMic without its written consent.

18.3 This section applies to a government Department only to the extent its law allows (see section 19).

19.1 If the Department is a government body and a law that applies to it prohibits or limits any provision of these Terms, including indemnity, limitation of liability, governing law, venue, confidentiality, automatic renewal or payment timing, that provision applies only to the extent that law allows, and the rest of these Terms continue to apply.

19.2 If the Department is a government body and its law requires its own state's law or courts to govern, that requirement replaces section 20 for that Department.

19.3 Customer Data held for a Department may be subject to public records laws that apply to the Department. FireMic will refer any public records request it receives for that data to the Department.

19.4 If a government Department's funding for the Service is not appropriated for a future period, the Department may end a paid subscription at the end of the funded period by giving FireMic written notice.

20.1 Before starting a legal claim, the party with the complaint will send the other a written description of it, and both will try in good faith to resolve it for 30 days.

20.2 These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey and applicable US federal law, without regard to conflict of laws rules.

20.3 Any legal action arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be brought only in the state or federal courts located in New Jersey, and each party consents to their jurisdiction. Either party may bring a qualifying claim in small claims court. Either party may seek an injunction in any competent court to protect its intellectual property or the security of the Service.

20.4 Section 19 takes priority over this section for government Departments.

21.1 FireMic may update these Terms. The current version is the one on this page, with the date it was last updated.

21.2 For a material change, FireMic will give at least 30 days' notice before it takes effect, by email to the address on your account or the Department admin's account, or by a notice in the app. A change required by law, or one that addresses a security risk, may take effect sooner, with notice as soon as practical. A change that only reduces your obligations may take effect when posted.

21.3 If you keep using the Service after a change takes effect, the updated Terms apply to you. If you do not agree, stop using the Service before the change takes effect. A Department may end a paid subscription for that reason without penalty.

21.4 A change to these Terms does not change a signed order form, Partner Agreement, data processing agreement or business associate agreement unless both parties sign the change.

22.1 Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any signed agreement described in section 1.6 are the entire agreement between you and FireMic LLC about the Service, and replace earlier versions and any other statements about it.

22.2 Assignment. You may not transfer these Terms without FireMic's written consent, except that a Department may transfer them to a successor public body. FireMic may transfer them to an affiliate or to a successor in a merger, acquisition or sale of all or substantially all of its assets, and will tell you if it does. The successor will be bound by FireMic's commitments in sections 5.1 and 8.

22.3 Severability. If a court finds any part of these Terms unenforceable, that part will be enforced to the extent possible and the rest will stay in effect.

22.4 No waiver. Not enforcing a right is not a waiver of it.

22.5 Events beyond our control. Neither party is responsible for a delay or failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including an outage of NERIS or of a provider the Service depends on, internet failures, natural disasters or government action. This does not excuse payment obligations.

22.6 Notices. FireMic sends notices to the email address on your account or the Department admin's account, or by a notice in the app. You send legal notices to FireMic LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company, at the email address shown by the contact links on this page. A notice is effective when received. You agree to receive notices and agreements electronically.

22.7 Relationship. You and FireMic are independent parties. These Terms create no partnership, agency or employment relationship, and give no rights to anyone else.

22.8 Interpretation. "Including" means "including without limitation". Headings, the "Who does what" lists and the "In short" summaries have no legal effect, as "How to read these terms" says.

23.1 Questions about these Terms go to the email, phone or text contact links on this page.

23.2 Legal notices go to FireMic LLC as section 22.6 describes.