This Privacy Policy explains how Sample CSI, Inc. ("SampleCSI," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects information through SampleFire, including the samplefire.net website, the SampleFire mobile and web applications, and related services (together, the "Services").
1. Who we are
SampleFire is a product of SampleCSI. SampleCSI is a separate company whose parent company is SampleServe, Inc., which makes environmental sampling software. SampleCSI's law enforcement product, also called SampleCSI, has its own privacy policy at samplecsi.com/privacy.
Separate systems. SampleFire runs on SampleCSI's own platform, separate from SampleServe's systems and database. SampleServe's products do not store, connect to, or have access to SampleFire data. We do not share personal information or customer data with SampleServe for SampleServe's own use.
Contact:
Sample CSI, Inc., for SampleFire
12935 SW Bay Shore Dr., Suite 200, Traverse City, MI 49684
Privacy: privacy@samplefire.net
Security: security@samplefire.net
Phone: 231-933-7035
2. Our role: customer data and our own data
SampleFire is used by insurance carriers, independent origin and cause firms, forensic engineering firms, fire departments, and fire marshals ("Customers") to document fire scene evidence and track chain of custody.
- Customer data. Claim files, evidence records, photos, video, notes, and custody history entered by a Customer belong to that Customer. The Customer controls this data. We process it only to provide the Services under our agreement with the Customer.
- Our own data. For website visitors, sales inquiries, and account administration, SampleCSI decides how the information is used.
If you are a policyholder, claimant, property owner, occupant, or other person whose information appears in a Customer's claim file, please contact that Customer (for example, your insurance carrier or the investigating fire department). If we receive your request, we will refer it to the Customer.
3. Information we collect
3.1 From website visitors
- Name, email address, phone number, company or department, and the content of your message when you use our contact form or email us.
- Device and usage information such as IP address, browser type, pages viewed, and referring page.
3.2 From Customer users of the app
- Account information: name, work email, phone, company, role, professional certifications (if entered), and login credentials.
- Activity records: who created, edited, sealed, transferred, or viewed each record, with date, time, and device.
- Location: precise GPS location at evidence collection and custody events, when location permission is turned on.
- Device information: device model, operating system, app version, and diagnostic logs.
3.3 Customer data entered or captured by Customer users
- Claim or incident number, loss location, date of loss, and scene details.
- Evidence descriptions, packaging, lab requests, and examination notes.
- Photos, video, audio, sketches, and documents from the fire scene.
- Information about people connected to a claim, such as policyholders, occupants, claimants, witnesses, and interested parties, when the Customer records it.
- Chain of custody history, including signatures and custody transfer scans.
4. Device permissions and biometrics
The app asks for these permissions only when a feature needs them. You can change them in your device settings, but some features will not work without them.
| Permission | What it's used for |
|---|---|
| Camera | Scene and evidence photos and video; scanning QR labels |
| Location | GPS stamp on collection and custody events |
| Bluetooth | Connecting to label printers |
| Photos and files | Attaching existing images or documents |
| Face ID or fingerprint | Confirming your identity at sealing and custody steps |
| Notifications | Custody requests and sync alerts |
Biometrics. Face ID and fingerprint confirmation are handled entirely by your device's operating system. SampleFire receives only a "confirmed" or "not confirmed" result. We do not collect, receive, or store fingerprints, face scans, or any other biometric identifier.
No facial recognition. SampleFire does not perform facial recognition on photos or video.
5. How we use information
- Provide, operate, and support the Services, including offline capture and sync.
- Keep evidence records and the custody history complete and accurate.
- Secure the Services, detect misuse, and investigate security incidents.
- Respond to inquiries and provide customer support.
- Improve performance and reliability using usage and diagnostic data.
- Send service notices, and send product updates to website contacts and account administrators. You can opt out of marketing emails at any time.
6. What we do not do
- We do not sell personal information.
- We do not use Customer data for advertising, and SampleFire does not show ads.
- We do not share information for targeted (cross-context behavioral) advertising.
- We do not use Customer data to train artificial intelligence models, ours or anyone else's.
- We do not combine or analyze claim files across Customers, and we do not share one Customer's data with another.
- We do not use Customer data to make underwriting, pricing, coverage, or claim decisions.
- We do not share Customer data with SampleCSI's parent company, SampleServe, Inc.
7. Artificial intelligence
7.1 Availability of AI features
If we introduce optional artificial intelligence (AI) features, we will describe each feature and the data it uses before making it available. Each Customer decides whether to turn these features on.
7.2 How we protect Customer data in AI features
- Customer control. AI features are off until a Customer administrator turns them on, and the Customer can turn them off at any time.
- Limited purpose. Customer data sent to an AI feature is used only to produce that result for that Customer.
- No training. We do not use Customer data to train AI models. Before enabling an AI provider, we require terms that prohibit using Customer data to train models and limit retention to what is needed to produce the result.
- Provider review. Before enabling an AI provider, we will verify its processing location and safeguards. A list of subprocessors is available on request.
- Human review. AI output is a suggestion. A user must review and accept it before it becomes part of a record.
7.3 What AI features never do
- Determine the origin or cause of a fire. Those determinations are made by qualified investigators.
- Make coverage, claim, fraud, underwriting, or pricing decisions about any person.
- Perform facial recognition or identify people in photos or video.
- Alter original photos, the custody history, or the audit log.
7.4 Insurance AI oversight
Insurers that use SampleFire may be subject to state rules on insurers' use of AI, including rules based on the NAIC Model Bulletin on the Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers. We will provide Customers with reasonable information about our AI features to support their oversight of vendors.
7.5 Changes to AI features
If we add an AI feature that uses Customer data in a new way, we will update this Policy and notify Customer administrators before it becomes available.
8. How we share information
- Service providers. Hosting, storage, security, communications, AI, and support vendors who process data for us under written contracts. Customer data is stored and processed in the United States. A current list of subprocessors is available on request from our privacy contact.
- At the Customer's direction. For example, sharing a claim evidence record with a laboratory, an engineering firm, legal counsel, or interested parties attending a joint scene examination.
- Legal demands. If we receive a subpoena, court order, or other legal demand for Customer data, including in litigation or subrogation, we will refer the requester to the Customer and notify the Customer before responding, unless the law forbids notice. We disclose Customer data only when legally required.
- Safety and security. To protect the Services, users, or the public from fraud, security threats, or imminent harm.
- Business transfers. If SampleCSI is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to this Policy and our Customer agreements.
9. Insurance and financial privacy laws
Some Customers are insurers subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and state insurance data security laws. For those Customers, we act as a service provider: we use nonpublic personal information only to provide the Services, protect it with the safeguards in Section 12, and support the Customer's vendor oversight requirements.
10. Where data is stored
SampleFire is offered to U.S. customers. All data is stored and processed in the United States, on infrastructure separate from SampleServe's systems.
11. How long we keep data
- Customer data is kept according to the Customer's settings, its retention policy, and any legal holds it places. Fire claims can lead to litigation and subrogation years later, so we do not delete claim records on our own schedule while a Customer agreement is active.
- Custody and audit logs are append-only. Users cannot edit or delete them, so each item's history stays complete.
- After an agreement ends, we return or delete Customer data as the agreement says.
- Website inquiries are kept for up to 3 years, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.
12. Security
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, tamper-evident audit logging, and U.S.-only data storage. No system is completely secure. Please report security concerns to security@samplefire.net.
If we learn of unauthorized access to Customer data, we will notify the affected Customer without undue delay and within the time required by law and our agreement, and help with its response.
13. Your privacy rights
- Information in a claim file: contact the Customer that keeps it, such as your insurance carrier or the investigating fire department.
- Website and account information: depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or get a copy of your personal information, to opt out of certain uses, and to appeal our decision on your request. We will not treat you differently for using these rights.
To make a request, email privacy@samplefire.net with the subject "Privacy Request," or call 231-933-7035. We will confirm your identity before responding and respond within the time the law requires, generally 45 days. You may use an authorized agent where the law allows.
14. Cookies
samplefire.net uses only cookies that are strictly necessary to operate the site, including a session cookie for access to an invitation-only demo. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies.
15. Accessibility
This Policy is available in other formats on request. Contact info@samplefire.net. See our Accessibility page at samplefire.net/accessibility.
16. Children
The Services are for professional use and are not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through our website. Customers may record information about minors in claim files, such as household occupants; that information is Customer data.
17. Changes to this Policy
We will post any changes here and update the "Last Updated" date. For material changes, we will notify Customer administrators in advance.
18. Contact us
Sample CSI, Inc., for SampleFire
12935 SW Bay Shore Dr., Suite 200, Traverse City, MI 49684
Privacy: privacy@samplefire.net
Security: security@samplefire.net
Phone: 231-933-7035