Use of the department computers and/or electronic information system (network) shall be consistent with the mission of the Fire District. Access of inappropriate sites is strictly forbidden.
To provide guidelines and regulations for the use of Fire District computers and the network system and prohibit unauthorized use and socially unacceptable material and communications on the system.
Inappropriate sites include, but are not limited to, sites that contain sexually explicit materials, promote hate or violence, or encourage any type of offensive behavior.
The District Computer System includes the District web site, all individual computers (PCs and laptops) and peripherals, email and file servers, and all other components and software of the DistrictÕs computer network.
Any use of the system must be in conformity to state and federal law, network provider policies and licenses, and District policy. Users are responsible for the appropriateness and content of material they access, transmit or publish on the system. Use of the system shall only occur under the following general guidelines:
- No person shall have access to the system without having received appropriate training in the use of the system.
- Non-department personnel shall be prohibited from system use unless expressly authorized by the Fire Chief or his designee.
- No software or program may be installed or downloaded onto a computer or the network without prior approval of the Fire Chief.
- Use of the system to access, store or distribute obscene or pornographic material is strictly prohibited.
- Participation in or logging into peer-to-peer networks such as Myspace.com is prohibited.
- Malicious use of the system to develop programs to harass other users or gain unauthorized access to any computer or computing system and/or damage the components of a computer or computing system is prohibited.
- Logging onto or utilizing the network under someone elseÕ name is prohibited.
- District Internet access shall not be used to make infringing uses of copyrighted or otherwise proprietary materials. District Internet users shall regard and respect copyright, trademark and license notices in all materials and information accessed. This policy does not preclude the copying of on-line materials for research or educational purposes.
- Subscriptions to bulletin boards, chat groups and commercial on-line services and other information services must be pre-approved by the Fire Chief or his designee.
- Hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks or jokes, or other antisocial behaviors are expressly prohibited.
Security
Off-site access to the department computer system and/or files is limited to only those department members who have been
approved by the Fire Chief. Written requests for system access shall be directed to the Fire Chief and shall clearly state the specific purpose of the access. Users may not share their password with another person or leave an open file or session unattended. User files and email files are to be used only by the authorized user. Uses shall not seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users, or misrepresent other users on the system, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the system.
Confidential information should not be left open on the screen when the computer is unattended. Confidential information should never be transmitted or forwarded to outside individuals or companies not authorized to receive that information and should not be sent or forwarded to other employees inside the department who do not need to know the information.
Antivirus software is installed and should always be running on District computers.
Never disable this software.
Never insert any disks or download any files from any outside source without first checking them for viruses.
E-mail
Please note that e-mail is
forever and can never be totally deleted. As such all email messages are permanent records and can be accessed months or years later by IT professionals. Accordingly, please create and send only messages that are courteous, professional and businesslike.
Due to potentially confidential District information and limited storage capabilities, the District strongly discourages the storage of large numbers of email messages. Accordingly, employees should promptly delete any e-mail messages they send or receive that no longer require action or are not necessary to an ongoing project. Employees should audit their stared e-mail messages regularly to identify messages that are no longer needed and that should be deleted.
Fire Cadet Use
Students must obtain instructor approval
each time they log onto the system. Personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers should remain confidential when communicating on the system. Students should never reveal such information without permission from their instructor. Students should immediately notify their instructor whenever they come across information or messages that are inappropriate or make them feel uncomfortable.
District Access
The District has the capability to access, review, copy, modify and delete any information transmitted through or stored in the system, including e-mail messages. The District reserves the right to access, review, copy, modify or delete all such information for any purpose and to disclose it to any party (inside or outside the District) it deems appropriate. Employees should treat the computer system like a shared file system, with the expectation that files sent, received or stored anywhere in the system will be available for review by an authorized representative of the District for any purpose.
