Terms of Service
Last updated: 2 May 2026
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using Hipponics Firewatch ("the Service"), operated by Hipponics (ABN 57 973 387 746) ("we", "us", "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, do not use the Service.
2. Description of Service
Hipponics Firewatch is a free community safety tool that provides real-time bushfire monitoring across Australia. The Service aggregates publicly available fire incident data from state and territory emergency services, satellite hotspot data, weather observations, and other sources to present a consolidated view of fire activity.
Features include:
- Interactive 2D and 3D fire incident maps
- Watch zone alerts via push notifications
- Satellite hotspot visualisation (NASA FIRMS)
- Live firefighting aircraft tracking
- Wind and weather visualisation
- Community photo sharing
3. Data Accuracy Disclaimer
The fire incident data, satellite hotspots, weather observations, aircraft positions, and other information displayed by the Service is sourced from third-party providers and government agencies. This data:
- May be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate
- May not reflect current conditions on the ground
- Should not be relied upon as the sole source of emergency information
- Is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind
We make reasonable efforts to provide timely and accurate information but cannot guarantee the completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of any data displayed by the Service.
4. Emergency Disclaimer
The Service is not an emergency warning system. It does not replace official emergency warnings issued by fire authorities, the Bureau of Meteorology, or state emergency services. In a bushfire emergency:
- Call 000 immediately if life or property is threatened
- Follow your bushfire survival plan
- Monitor official channels: VicEmergency, Fires Near Me NSW, MyFireWatch, etc.
- Follow instructions from emergency services personnel
5. User Accounts
Some features require creating an account. You are responsible for:
- Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
- All activity that occurs under your account
- Providing accurate account information
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.
6. Acceptable Use
You agree not to:
- Use the Service to spread false emergency information
- Upload content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, or offensive
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Service or its systems
- Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure
- Scrape, harvest, or collect data from the Service by automated means without permission
- Impersonate any person or entity
7. User-Submitted Content
By uploading photos or other content to the Service, you:
- Retain ownership of your content
- Grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display and distribute the content within the Service
- Confirm that you have the right to share the content
- Accept that content may be visible to other users of the Service
8. Intellectual Property
The Service, including its design, code, and original content, is the property of Hipponics. Map data is provided by third-party services under their respective licences. Fire incident data is sourced from government agencies and is subject to their terms of use.
9. Supporter Subscription (Optional)
The Service is free to use. We also offer an optional "Supporter" tier with additional features (high-resolution layers, fire spread analysis, satellite imagery), billed via Stripe.
- Pricing is shown on the in-app upgrade screen at the time of subscription, in Australian dollars (AUD), inclusive of any applicable GST.
- Auto-renewal: subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel.
- Cancellation: you can cancel any time from your account in the app, or via the Stripe customer portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period — you keep supporter features until then.
- Refunds: we don't offer refunds for partial billing periods. This does not exclude any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law (see Section 10 below).
- Account deletion through the in-app "Delete my account" button cancels your subscription immediately.
10. Australian Consumer Law
Our goods and services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded.
11. Limitation of Liability
Subject to Section 10 (Australian Consumer Law), to the maximum extent permitted by Australian law, Hipponics shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from:
- Your use of or inability to use the Service
- Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions in the data displayed
- Any decisions made based on information provided by the Service
- Any interruption, suspension, or termination of the Service
- Any damage to property or personal injury resulting from reliance on the Service
12. Service Availability
We strive to maintain the Service's availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond our control. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service at any time without notice.
13. Changes to Terms
We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. We will post the updated terms on this page and update the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
14. Governing Law
These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Australia. Any disputes arising from these terms or the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Australia.
15. Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us at:
- Email: hipponics@outlook.com
- Website: hipponics.com
- Operator: Hipponics (ABN 57 973 387 746)