Privacy Policy
We’ve done our best to write this policy in a clear and easy-to-understand way. To do so, we’ve decided to present it as a series of questions and answers. If you have questions about it, we encourage you to email us at info@firesideproject.org.
We ask that you review this policy before using the Psychedelic Support Line (sometimes referred to in this document as “support line”) or this website, or providing us with personal information through any other channel. If you do use this website or the support line, we’ll assume you’ve reviewed and accepted this policy. Also, we’ll update these terms from time to time, and each update will become effective as soon as we post it here. (So in other words, right now, you’re reading the most up-to-date version of this policy.)
Please note that this policy applies to the Psychedelic Support Line, users of our website, our branded social media pages, volunteer applicants, and donors, or anyone else who submits or shares personal information with Fireside Project, regardless of the channel. This policy doesn’t apply to third-party websites or services that may be linked on our website.
PSYCHEDELIC SUPPORT LINE
1. What is the Psychedelic Support Line?
Fireside Project operates the Psychedelic Support Line, which provides non-clinical emotional support to callers during and after their psychedelic experiences.
We want to be very clear about some of the key limits on the scope of the support line:
We do not provide any pre-trip support or advice.
We do not provide medical care, medical assessments, psychotherapy, or any other type of professional service.
We are not a substitute for 911 or any other emergency service. If you believe you or someone with you may be experiencing a medical emergency or any other kind of emergency, please immediately call 911.
If you need non-emergency medical care or assistance, please contact a doctor or other medical professional.
If you are seeking psychotherapy or any other professional mental health service, please contact a psychologist or other mental health professional.
You’ll see the term “personal information.” That means data that can be used to identify you, like your full name, email address, telephone number or home address.
You’ll also see the term “caller.” That means someone who has called or texted the Psychedelic Support Line.
2. Is the Psychedelic Support Line confidential?
Yes, with some exceptions required by law and discussed in number 4 below. One such exception is if a caller’s life or the life of another person may be in immediate danger. In that case, if the caller has provided us with an address, we’ll call 911 or other emergency services. Calling the police is a last resort. As another example, we’d comply with any court-ordered requirement to disclose your information.
3. Must callers disclose any information to the Psychedelic Support Line?
No. Our volunteers are trained not to affirmatively request personal information, and callers may reveal as much or as little of information as they want. Information that callers may voluntarily provide during the course of a support line call may include descriptive information such as their name, names of those they are with, or their location.
4. Do you ever provide caller’s personal information to third parties?
No, except as required by law or specified here. One example of when we’d provide personal information to a third party is if a caller’s life or the life of another person may be in immediate danger. In that case, if the caller has provided us with an address, we’d call 911 or another emergency service. Calling the police is a last resort. As another example, we’d comply with a court-order to disclose your information.
We will also share information externally: (a) to comply with applicable law, which may include laws outside your country of residence, to respond to requests from public and government authorities, which may include authorities outside your country of residence, to cooperate with law enforcement, or for other legal reasons; (b) to enforce our Terms of Use; and (c) to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you or others. In addition, we may use, disclose or transfer your information to a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or any portion of our organization (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).
5. How do you use information that callers provide to the support line?
We use the information to help us provide the best service we can. That can include studying it for training purposes, quality control, or to improve our services.
We may also de-identify information so that it no longer identifies you and/or combine aggregate information and write reports. For instance, we may write a report stating that a certain percentage of our calls are for the purpose of psychedelic integration.
Our goal is to provide high-quality non-clinical support to our callers. Our volunteers go through a training and then continue their learning process as volunteers. One way this learning happens is by receiving feedback from shift supervisors, who will sometimes join calls and observe to the psychedelic support being provided. Depending on the specific circumstances, supervisors may not announce that they have joined the call. Volunteers and supervisors will respond truthfully if asked about whether another person is on the line.
6. Why are some calls observed by shift supervisors or psychedelic support volunteers?
For quality assurance and training purposes. By observing calls, volunteers can learn and improve their skills, and supervisors can provide feedback to volunteers.
7. Can I text with the support line?
Yes. You can reach the support line by calling or texting 6-2FIRESIDE (623-473-7433). If you text Fireside, you agree to receive text/SMS messages that may be placed with an automated dialer. Message and Data rates may apply. Consent to text messaging is not a requirement for psychedelic support.
8. Do you ever sell, rent, or license callers’ personal information?
We do not disclose callers’ personal information except as noted in number 4 above.
9. What steps does Fireside Project take to protect information provided on the support line?
We take reasonable security precautions, including encryption, administrative, technical, and physical measures, to protect your information from loss, theft, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.
We store all information on servers and we only permit approved Fireside Project personnel and authorized third parties to access those servers. Although we take appropriate measures to safeguard against unauthorized disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that your information or communications with Fireside Project will never be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this policy, and make no representations or warranties regarding the sufficiency of our security measures to prevent unauthorized access or interception by third parties.
10. What happens with the data generated from anonymous post-conversation surveys?
Fireside Project may send surveys to callers. Survey responses are anonymous. Responses to surveys help us improve our services and, among other things, help us understand our impact as a risk reduction tool. We may use anonymized, aggregated responses in academic studies, promotional materials, our website, reports, and grant applications.
Some surveys may give callers the choice of whether to provide their contact information so that we may contact them to ask follow-up questions. If a caller chooses to provide their contact information, we will never share it with a third party unless for one of the reasons noted in number 4 above..
11. Does Fireside Project make any guarantees or warranties about our services?
No. We’ll do our best, and we do everything we can to keep improving our services. But we can’t make any guarantees or warranties. Our services are “as is” and “as available.”
We disclaim all warranties, both express or implied, including the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. This disclaimer applies to all damages or injuries, including those caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect or delay in operation or transmission, whether for breach of contract, tortious behavior, including negligence, or any other cause of action.
12. Is Fireside Project liable for the actions taken by callers during or after their time on the Psychedelic Support Line?
No. You assume all risk for your use of the support line. Neither Fireside Project, nor any of our employees, volunteers, or agents shall have any liability for or in connection with (1) actions taken or not taken by you or a third party, during, after, or as a result of your use of the support line, or (2) the unavailability of the support line.
13. Does the Psychedelic Support Line provide advice on which illegal substances to take, whether to take illegal substances, or the dosage of any such substances?
No. Fireside Project does not encourage or condone any illegal activities, including but not limited to the use of illegal substances such as psychedelics. Nothing that any person working for the support line says or does should be construed as advice or encouragement to engage in, or condonement of, any illegal conduct, including but not limited to consuming psychedelics. Any decision to engage in any illegal conduct is yours and yours alone.
14. Do volunteers on the Psychedelic Support Line provide recommendations?
No. We do not recommend or endorse any person, product, or service. We may provide referrals to certain websites or sources of information. When we do provide such referrals, they are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement of the information contained on such websites. Fireside Project does not independently vet or verify the credentials or representations contained on other websites. Each person should use their own discretion and conduct their own due diligence.
15. Does the Psychedelic Support Line provide recommendations to underground psychedelic therapists?
No. As noted above, Fireside Project does not encourage or condone any illegal activities, including but not limited to the consumption of psychedelic substances. Nothing that any person working for the support line says or does should be construed as advice or encouragement to engage in any illegal conduct, including the consumption of psychedelic substances. Any decision to engage in any illegal conduct is yours and yours alone.
16. Do you share information provided by applicants to volunteer on the Psychedelic Support Line with third parties?
No, except as noted above in number 4.
17. Are there restrictions on how callers can use the Psychedelic Support Line?
Yes, please see our Terms of Use. In summary, you may not use the support line:
For any unlawful purpose;
In a way that violates any federal, state, local, or international law or regulation;
To exploit, harm, or attempt to exploit or harm minors or any other person;
To threaten, harass, or otherwise inappropriately abuse Fireside Project, its employees, partners, agents, contractors, volunteers, or others;
To impersonate or attempt to impersonate another person or entity;
To engage in any conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of Fireside Project or any of its services, or which may harm Fireside Project or users of our services, or expose us to liability;
To copy, adapt, decompile, reverse engineer, attempt to discover the source code of or make derivative works of any of Fireside Project’s services, including but not limited to the Psychedelic Support Line or the software console used by volunteers;
To interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of Fireside Project’s services, including but not limited to the Psychedelic Support Line.
18. What happens if someone violates this policy?
Fireside Project, at our sole discretion, reserves the right to terminate your access to the support line.
19. Can minors use the Psychedelic Support Line?
Yes.
INFORMATION GATHERED FROM DONORS AND VIA THE WEBSITE
20. What information is collected on the website?
You provide most of the personal information we collect about website visitors, when you make a donation, sign up to receive information or our newsletter, register to participate in an event, or apply to volunteer with Fireside Project. You may choose to voluntarily provide personal information such as your full name, your email address, your mailing address and your credit card information, as well as your membership username and password if you choose to become a member or reoccurring donor.
If you apply to volunteer with Fireside Project’s Psychedelic Support Line, we collect your name and contact information and that of your references, your education and employment history/experience, demographic information if you choose to provide is, professional credentials, online identifiers, and any other information contained in your resume or your application materials. We will also perform a criminal background check (subject to your consent).
Information that is passively collected when you use our website, such as by our web servers [and by third party analytics tools we use] includes the following:
Our system logs may record certain information about visitors to our website, including the web request, Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, device and mobile ad identifiers, browser information, interaction with the website, pages viewed, app usage, and other such information; we may collect similar information from emails you receive from us that can help us track which emails are opened and which links are clicked by recipients.
We use certain cookies, pixel tags and other technologies to help us understand how you use our website and enable us to personalize your experience.
21. Do you ever sell, rent, or license donors’ personal information?
No.
22. Can minors use the Fireside Project website?
Yes. Fireside Project does not store personal information, including the personal information of minors. If Fireside Project or a volunteer on the Psychedelic Support Line discovers that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor, we will delete that information immediately. If you are a parent or guardian of such a minor and believe he or she has disclosed personal information to us, please contact us at info@firesideproject.org.
23. What does Fireside Project do with information provided on the website?
When you do provide us with personal information on our website, we might use it to:
process your donation or reoccurring donations, including to email you receipts and thank you notes
create and maintain any membership account that you create
communicate with you by email or postal mail to send you information such as newsletters about our programs, services, and events, unless you have directed us not to contact you
communicate with you regarding volunteer and donation opportunities
help us improve our programs and services
bring to our attention community needs or gaps in services
help us analyze trends and statistics regarding donations
protect the security and integrity of our website and our business
comply with the law and any court-ordered requirement to disclose your information
24. How is personal information of website users or donors shared?
Volunteers. We may share limited personal information, such as contact information, with volunteers who are assisting Fireside Project and who require the information as part of their duties.
Service Providers. We use third-party service providers to provide operational and professional services on our behalf, such as website hosting, information technology and infrastructure, data analytics, email delivery, credit card processing, auditing or other services.
Social Media. If you engage with Fireside Project on a public social media platform, you may be sharing your personal information with your friends associated with your social media account, to other website users and to your social media account provider, in connection with your social sharing activity. By connecting your Fireside Project account or website activity with your social media account, you authorize us to share information with your social media account provider. For example, if you use a “like” button or use other social media features while visiting our website, those social media companies may collect information about you. You understand that your interactions with social media companies, the use of their features, and the use of the information we share will be governed by their privacy policies.
Other Sharing. We do not otherwise share the personal information of donors or website users except as stated in number 4 above.
25. Can I ask Fireside Project to update, change or delete my personal information?
You may make a request regarding any personal information we may have of yours by emailing us at info@firesideproject.org, after which you will be prompted to confirm your request. We will make reasonable efforts to process requests promptly, but may decline to process requests for any reason, including if requests are unreasonably repetitive, require unreasonable technical effort, jeopardize the privacy of you or others, are otherwise impractical, or which would conflict with a law enforcement matter. Additionally, we will decline to process requests if we believe preservation of your personal information is necessary: (a) to comply with the law or in response to a subpoena, court order, government request, or other legal obligations; (b) to protect the interests, rights, safety, or property of Fireside Project, its employees, agents, or volunteers; (c) to enforce this policy; or (d) to address fraud, security, or technical issues.
26. Does Fireside Project offer emotional support resources on its website?
Yes, our website may link to other websites and online resources. Such links are provided for informational purposes and convenience only. We do not recommend or endorse any person, product, or service. When Fireside Project provides links on its website, the links are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement of the information contained on such websites. Fireside Project does not independently vet or verify the credentials or representations contained on other websites. Each person should use their own discretion and conduct their own due diligence when accessing external links and websites.
This policy is effective as of October 7, 2023.