Contact: will@thepumpsoftwarecompany.com.
Location
If you allow it, the app reads your device location to center the map and to measure distance from you to a fire. A saved place stores the name you type, the coordinates of the pin, and the alert radius on the device. Location is used to decide which fires fall inside the free watch and which alerts can sound for that place. You can turn location off in the system settings. The app can still watch a place you saved.
When you report a fire, the app records your device location and its GPS accuracy automatically. That point is private. It is stored with the report and used to score distance, terrain, and credibility. It is not shown to other people and it is not drawn on the public map. Verified volunteer reviewers may see the reporter's location only rounded, to about a kilometer. The fire itself is a separate pin you move to the smoke. That pin is the public location.
When you answer whether smoke is still there, or you tap “I see it” or “No fire/smoke here,” your device location is stored with that vote. Voter locations stay private, including from reviewers. They are used only to weight the vote. One person is counted once per fire, and votes are rate limited.
A Verified by Fire Watch badge shows the verifier’s role and how long ago they verified the report. It does not show where they were, and it does not show their home region. Their name appears on the badge only if they chose to show it. That choice is off unless they turn it on. The badge applies only inside the verifier’s home state. Crowd “not there” votes do not remove a Fire Watch verification. Only Fire Watch personnel in good standing can take that mark off or close the report. The audit trail records who verified it and when. Badges renew once a year.
If you apply as a verified reporter, the app stores a legal name, a phone number after a one-time code, and the fact that you passed the free training and accepted the code of conduct. A private accuracy score goes up when your report later matches a confirmed or verified incident or a satellite hotspot, and down when a report is rejected or closed. Other people do not see that score. Fire Watch applicants may also verify a work email on an agency or lookout domain, or be vouched for by a regional lead. An identity check uses Stripe Identity’s hosted page. Ember Owl stores the verification status and the session id only. It does not store an image of an identity document.
Complimentary Premium for Fire Watch is a server-granted entitlement tied to that standing, not a purchase. The audit log records when it is granted and when it is revoked.
Account
You can browse the map, alerts, evacuation zones, and the go bag with no account. A free account is required to report a fire, vote on whether smoke is still there, tap “I see it,” add a photo, or post a comment. An account is a phone number or an email address checked with a one-time code sent through our server. Text uses Twilio Verify and email uses Resend. Until those services are connected, the code is shown once in the app and marked as test mode. The account id tied to a report or vote is a hash of that phone or email. It is used for your private accuracy score, for rate limits, and to ban an account that abuses reporting. It is not your location, and other people do not see the phone number or email.
The name and email on the first screen are optional and are not an account. If you enter them, they stay in the profile on the device.
Reports and photos
If you report a fire, the app stores the public fire pin, the time, the smoke direction, an optional compass bearing, your note, and any photo you attach. It also stores your private device location, described above. Other people see a confidence level: Unconfirmed, Likely, Confirmed, or Verified by Fire Watch. They do not see where you were standing. A report can be shown inside Ember Owl, and nearby people can say whether the smoke is still there. Confirmation is still not an official incident. Do not send a photo you do not have the right to share. The public fire pin, note, smoke direction, and account id may be uploaded to our servers for review. The private device location and the photo stay on this device. We do not sell reports.
Subscriptions
Premium is billed by Apple App Store or Google Play. RevenueCat tells the app whether the Premium entitlement is active. We receive a store app user id, the product id, and that entitlement status. We do not receive your card number, and we do not store it. Products are ember_owl_premium_monthly at $2.49 a month, ember_owl_premium_yearly at $19.99 a year, and ember_owl_family_yearly at $29.99 a year. Monthly and yearly include a 7-day trial. The family plan does not. Subscriptions auto-renew until cancelled in the App Store or Google Play.
No ads
Ember Owl has no advertising and no ad SDK. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers.
Aircraft positions
Aircraft positions are requested from adsb.lol and shown on the map. That data is licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL). Credit: Aircraft positions © adsb.lol contributors, Open Database License (ODbL). We do not attach your name or email to those positions. Positions are delayed.
Public fire and weather data
Incidents, perimeters, and weather alerts come from public sources, including NIFC WFIGS, CAL FIRE, and the National Weather Service. Those feeds are not mixed with your profile for sale.
How long it stays
On-device data stays until you delete the item, delete the account, or delete the app. A saved place can be removed in the app. Subscription status lasts while the store says the entitlement is active.
Access and deletion
Delete your account in Settings. That removes the verified phone or email from this device and deletes your reports, votes, photos, and comments from this device. Reports, votes, and comments uploaded for that account are deleted from our servers. Places, alerts, and the go bag are not part of the account and stay on the device. You can also email will@thepumpsoftwarecompany.com to request access to personal information we have about you, or to ask us to delete it.
California privacy rights
If you live in California, the California Consumer Privacy Act and the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA) give you rights to know, delete, and correct personal information, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information. Email will@thepumpsoftwarecompany.com to use these rights.
Children
Ember Owl is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.
Contact
The Pump Software Company, LLC
will@thepumpsoftwarecompany.com
Support