Community Guidelines

Our promise

TowerWatch is a calm, expert-moderated, public-interest community, and it is free forever. It is a companion to your official emergency information sources — never a replacement. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 and follow official orders.

The rules

1. Be respectful. No personal attacks, slurs, or harassment.
2. No misinformation. If you're not sure, label it as such or don't post it. Guardians may revise or remove unverified claims.
3. No politics outside emergency-relevant policy. Funding for fire services, climate policy as it affects emergency response — fine. Federal partisan politics — not here.
4. Stay on-topic for the category. Off-topic content gets moved.
5. No engagement-bait, no sensationalism, no breaking-news framing. Calm beats loud.
6. Respect privacy. Don't dox individuals, including responders. Don't post photos of victims, minors, or identifiable bystanders.
7. Don't impersonate. Don't claim credentials you don't hold.
8. Don't replace 911. If someone needs help, tell them to call 911. Don't try to coordinate emergency response in threads.
9. No advertising. No referral links. No fundraising without prior approval.
10. English and French are equally welcome. Tag your thread's language.

Verification

Two verification tiers exist: Guardian (active or recently retired fire, EMS, dispatch, weather, emergency-management, SAR, forestry, or FireSmart-aligned professional) and Verified Pro (other relevant credentials confirmed through our process).

Posts can carry one of three labels: verified (confirmed by a Guardian against trusted sources), unconfirmed (under review, or information whose reliability is uncertain), and second-hand (relayed via a third party, not verified at source). A "verified" label can be revoked if the information is later found to be incorrect.

Moderation

Anyone can report a post. Reports land in a moderation queue reviewed by Guardians and Moderators. Possible actions include: hide, revise, move, or ban for serious or repeated violations. All moderation actions are recorded in an internal audit log. Complex cases can be escalated to an Admin or the Founder.

Becoming a Guardian

See the Guardians page for criteria and how to apply.