Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

• Information you give us. When you use our contact form, membership/volunteer application, event registration, or donation forms, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and any additional details you choose to provide in your message or application.
• Membership & portal information. If you are a BVFD member with a portal account, we collect the information needed to administer membership, training, scheduling, and department operations.
• Donations.Online donations are processed by PayPal. Payment card and bank details are entered on PayPal’s secure platform — BVFD does not collect or store your card or bank account numbers.
• Information collected automatically. Like most websites, we automatically receive standard server log data (such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited) and may use cookies or similar technologies for site functionality, security, and to understand how the Site is used.

How We Use Your Information

• Respond to your inquiries and requests.
• Process and follow up on membership/volunteer applications and event registrations.
• Administer donations and send acknowledgments or receipts.
• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Site and our services.
• Send department communications you have requested or that relate to your involvement with BVFD.
• Comply with legal obligations.

How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as needed to operate the Site and our organization:

• Service providers.We use trusted third parties to run the Site — for example, website and database hosting, email delivery, and payment processing (PayPal). These providers may process your information solely to provide services to us.
• Volunteer onboarding. As part of the volunteer application and background process, relevant application information may be shared with Louisa County or other authorities where required for membership eligibility.
• Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of BVFD, our members, or the public.

Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, including encryption of data in transit over HTTPS. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, to administer membership and department records, and to meet legal or reporting obligations, after which it is deleted or anonymized.

Children’s Privacy

The Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Your Choices

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of the personal information you have provided to us by contacting us using the details below. You can also opt out of non-essential communications at any time. Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings.

Third-Party Links

The Site may link to third-party websites (such as PayPal or Facebook). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites; please review their policies separately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your information, please contact us: