The DeBary Volunteer Firemen’s Association, Inc., doing business as The DeBary Volunteer Fire Support Team (“the Association,” “we,” “us” or “our”), respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects users of debaryvfa.org (the “Site”) to do the same. This policy explains how we respond to claims of copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. §512.
Effective date: October 30, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
1. Our approach to copyright
Most of the content on our Site is written by our volunteers or comes from the Association’s own records and photo archives. Where we use photographs or graphics created by others, we use openly licensed or public-domain works or works we have permission to use, and we credit them, with their licenses, on our Image Credits page. Despite our care, mistakes can happen, particularly with older archival photos whose origins are not always documented. If you believe we have used your work without permission, we want to hear from you.
Often the fastest way to resolve a concern is simply to contact us informally. We are a volunteer organization, and we are happy to add a credit, correct a license, or remove an image without requiring a formal notice. If you prefer to send a formal DMCA notice, please follow the steps below.
2. Before you send a notice
Before submitting a notice, please consider:
- Do you own the copyright, or are you authorized to act for the owner? Only the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on the owner’s behalf may submit a DMCA notice.
- Is the use licensed? Please check our Image Credits page. Many images on the Site are used under Creative Commons or similar licenses.
- Could the use be a fair use? Copyright law permits certain uses without permission, such as for commentary, education, history, news reporting or criticism (17 U.S.C. §107). Courts have held that copyright owners must consider fair use before sending a takedown notice.
- Is it a copyright issue? The DMCA process applies only to copyright. For other concerns, such as trademark, privacy, a photo of you, or inaccurate information, please see Section 9 or contact us directly.
If you are not sure whether material infringes your rights, you may wish to consult an attorney.
3. How to submit a notice of claimed infringement
To be effective under 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3), your notice must be in writing, sent to our designated agent (see Section 4), and include all of the following:
- Signature. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed. (A typed full name at the end of an email is generally acceptable as an electronic signature.)
- The copyrighted work. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed or, if multiple copyrighted works on our Site are covered by a single notice, a representative list of those works.
- The infringing material and its location. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material. Please include the full web address (URL) of each page where the material appears and, for images, a description of the image or its file address.
- Your contact information. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as your name, mailing address, telephone number and email address.
- Good-faith statement. A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
- Accuracy and authority statement. A statement that the information in the notice is accurate, and, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
A notice that does not substantially comply with these requirements may not be effective. If your notice is missing information, we may contact you to ask for it.
Sample language
“I have a good faith belief that use of the material described above in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. The information in this notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am the owner, or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner, of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.”
4. Our designated agent
Please send DMCA notices and counter-notifications to our designated agent:
Our designated agent:
DMCA Agent
The DeBary Volunteer Firemen’s Association, Inc.
d/b/a The DeBary Volunteer Fire Support Team
PO Box 530853
DeBary, FL 32753-0853
- Email: [email protected] (please use the subject line “DMCA Notice” or “DMCA Counter-Notification”)
- Phone (non-emergency): 386-801-2469
Email is the fastest way to reach us. Please send only copyright notices and counter-notifications to the attention of the DMCA Agent; other messages sent this way may not receive a response through this channel. For other questions, use our contact page.
5. What happens after we receive a valid notice
When we receive a notice that substantially complies with the requirements above, we will:
- review the notice and the material identified;
- act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the material, where appropriate;
- if the material was provided by someone else (for example, a photo submitted by a community member), take reasonable steps to promptly notify that person that the material has been removed or disabled, and provide a copy of the notice, which may include your name and contact information; and
- keep a record of the notice.
Because most content on the Site is published by the Association itself, in many cases we will simply review the claim and, if it appears valid, remove the material, replace it, or add the correct credit or license. We may also forward a copy of notices to organizations that track takedown requests, with personal contact information removed.
6. Counter-notification
If material you provided was removed or disabled and you believe in good faith that this happened because of a mistake or misidentification of the material, you may send a counter-notification to our designated agent. Under 17 U.S.C. §512(g)(3), a counter-notification must be in writing and include all of the following:
- Signature. Your physical or electronic signature.
- Identification of the material. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled (such as the URL).
- Statement under penalty of perjury. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled.
- Contact information and consent to jurisdiction. Your name, address and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or, if your address is outside the United States, for any judicial district in which the Association may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original notice or an agent of that person.
What happens after a valid counter-notification
When we receive a valid counter-notification, we will promptly send a copy to the person who submitted the original notice and inform them that we will replace the removed material or stop disabling access to it in 10 business days. We will then replace the material or restore access to it not less than 10, nor more than 14, business days after we receive the counter-notification, unless our designated agent first receives notice from the original complainant that they have filed an action seeking a court order to restrain you from engaging in infringing activity relating to the material on our Site.
Please note that the Association may, at its discretion, decide not to restore material even after a counter-notification, for example if we decide the material is no longer needed on our Site. As a nonprofit that publishes primarily its own content, we may choose to replace a disputed image with a different one rather than restore it.
7. Repeat infringer policy
In appropriate circumstances, and consistent with 17 U.S.C. §512(i), the Association will terminate the accounts, posting privileges or access of users who are repeat infringers. A “repeat infringer” is a user who has been the subject of more than one valid, uncontested notice of infringement, or who has been found by a court to have infringed. We may also, in our discretion, limit access to the Site or remove the account of any user who infringes the intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is repeat infringement. Similarly, we will stop using material from any outside source that we learn has repeatedly provided infringing content.
8. Misrepresentation and good faith
Please be careful and accurate. Under 17 U.S.C. §512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity is infringing, or that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees, incurred by the alleged infringer, by the copyright owner or its licensee, or by the Association, as a result of relying on that misrepresentation.
We ask everyone who uses this process to act in good faith. Please do not use the DMCA process to remove content for reasons unrelated to copyright, to harass others, or to suppress fair commentary, history or news about the Association or the community. We may disregard notices that appear to be abusive or fraudulent.
9. Other intellectual property and content concerns
- Trademarks. If you believe content on the Site misuses your trademark, please contact us with details and we will review the concern.
- Photos of you or your family. If you appear in a photo on the Site and would like it removed, you do not need to send a DMCA notice. Simply contact us and we will review your request promptly.
- Our Facebook page. Content on our Facebook page is hosted by Meta. You may report it using Facebook’s reporting tools, or contact us directly and we will review it.
- Use of the Association’s own content. If you would like to use our logos, photos or articles, see our Terms and Conditions and contact us for permission.
- Accuracy. For concerns about the accuracy of information, see our Disclaimer and contact us.
10. No legal advice; changes to this policy
This policy describes our procedures and is not legal advice. If you have questions about your rights, please consult an attorney. We may update this policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in the law or in our designated agent’s contact details. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
11. Contact us
For copyright questions, or to resolve a concern informally, please contact us:
The DeBary Volunteer Firemen’s Association, Inc.
d/b/a The DeBary Volunteer Fire Support Team
Attn: DMCA Agent
PO Box 530853
DeBary, FL 32753-0853
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone (non-emergency): 386-801-2469
- Online: our contact page
For emergencies, always call 911.