Preamble

PASMA — the Public Agency Safety Management Association — is a professional association serving public agency safety professionals across California. PASMA exists to advance the practice of public agency safety management through peer knowledge exchange, professional development, shared resources, and community.

This document governs the relationship between PASMA and all users of the pasmaonline.org platform, including visitors, registered Subscribers, and paid Members. By accessing or using this platform in any capacity, you agree to the terms set forth herein.

PASMA equips professionals. Professionals exercise judgment. Judgment belongs to the practitioner.

This governing principle applies throughout all sections of this document. PASMA provides resources, forums, and communications to support the independent professional judgment of qualified safety practitioners — not to replace it.

Section 1 — Terms of Use

1.1 Acceptance of Terms

By accessing pasmaonline.org, creating an account, or using any feature of this platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use, the Privacy Policy, and all applicable disclaimers contained in this document. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not use this platform.

PASMA reserves the right to update these terms at any time. Continued use of the platform following notice of any update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. Material changes will be communicated to registered users by email.

1.2 Platform Access Tiers

The PASMA platform operates on a three-tier access model:

Public Access — available to all visitors without registration. Includes public Health & Safety resources, legislative documents, meeting schedules, and forum topic listings.
Subscriber (Free Account) — registered users at no cost. Includes all Public Access content plus newsletter and meeting notices delivered by email and the weekly forum topic digest delivered by email. Subscribers do not have access to forum content or Member Area resource downloads.
PASMA Member (Paid) — annual dues required. Includes all Subscriber benefits plus full forum read and post access and Member Area resource downloads including templates, tools, and reference documents.

Access tier assignments are managed by PASMA administrators. Paid membership is confirmed offline and role assignment is performed manually by the PASMA site administrator following confirmation of dues payment.

1.3 Account Registration

To create a free Subscriber account or apply for paid membership, you must provide accurate and complete information including your name, professional email address, and employing agency or organization. You are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of your account information and for all activity conducted under your account.

PASMA reserves the right to approve, decline, or revoke membership at its sole discretion.

Membership in PASMA is held by individuals in their professional capacity. By registering for any account tier, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

PASMA may reference your employing agency or organization name solely to identify the professional community PASMA serves — for example, in credibility displays, membership lists, and promotional materials.
Such reference indicates your individual membership affiliation only and does not imply endorsement of PASMA by your agency or organization, nor any formal affiliation between PASMA and your employer.
You represent that referencing your agency affiliation in this limited context does not violate any policy of your employing agency. If your agency prohibits such reference, it is your responsibility to notify PASMA at info@pasmaonline.org and PASMA will remove the reference promptly.

Opt-Out: If you do not consent to your agency name being referenced in PASMA materials, you must indicate this during registration. You may also withdraw consent at any time by contacting info@pasmaonline.org. Opting out does not affect your membership status or access rights.

1.5 Acceptable Use

You agree to use this platform only for lawful purposes consistent with professional conduct. You agree not to:

Post content that is defamatory, harassing, discriminatory, or otherwise harmful to any individual or group
Share confidential agency information, personally identifiable information of third parties, or content that violates any applicable law or regulation
Misrepresent your identity, credentials, or employing agency
Use the platform for commercial solicitation without prior written approval from PASMA
Attempt to circumvent platform access controls or security features

PASMA reserves the right to remove content and revoke platform access for violations of these standards without prior notice.

1.6 Intellectual Property

All original content produced by PASMA including but not limited to templates, documents, newsletter content, and site content is the intellectual property of PASMA. Members may use PASMA-produced materials for professional purposes within their agency. Reproduction, redistribution, or commercial use of PASMA materials without written permission is prohibited.

Content posted by members in the forum or other areas of the platform remains the intellectual property of the posting member. By posting content, you grant PASMA a non-exclusive license to display that content on the platform.

1.7 Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, PASMA, its officers, directors, volunteers, and administrators shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of this platform, reliance on any content or resource, or participation in any forum discussion.

This limitation applies regardless of whether PASMA has been advised of the possibility of such damages and applies to all claims including but not limited to those arising from professional decisions made in reliance on platform content.

1.8 Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. Any dispute arising under these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of California.

Note: A mandatory arbitration provision was considered for this section and deferred at Antony’s direction pending future board discussion. This section is unchanged from V2.

1.9 Site Administration and Moderation

PASMA designates Site Administrators to manage the technical operation of the platform. PASMA may also designate Moderators to assist with day-to-day review of forum and member content. Moderators may be drawn from the PASMA Board of Directors or from other individuals designated by the Board for this purpose.

Administrators and Moderators are authorized to review, edit, or remove content, and to manage member access, in accordance with these Terms. References elsewhere in this document to “Administrators” include Moderators acting in that capacity, and references to “Moderators” include any Board member designated to serve in that role.

Section 2 — Privacy Policy

2.1 Information We Collect

When you register for an account or interact with the PASMA platform, we may collect the following information:

Name and professional title
Email address
Employing agency or organization name
Account login credentials (passwords are encrypted and not accessible to administrators)
Forum posts, replies, and content you submit to the platform
Account activity including login history and resource access

For anonymous forum posts: when you choose to post anonymously, your display name is shown as “Anonymous” to other members. However, your real identity is retained by PASMA site administrators for platform integrity and safety purposes. This retention is disclosed at the point of posting.

2.2 How We Use Your Information

PASMA uses the information collected solely for the following purposes:

Administering your account and membership
Delivering newsletters, meeting notices, and forum digests to Subscribers and Members
Communicating platform updates and PASMA announcements
Maintaining platform security and integrity
Referencing your agency affiliation in PASMA materials as described in Section 1.4
Improving the platform and member experience

PASMA does not use member information for commercial advertising, does not sell member data to any third party, and does not share member information with any party other than as described in Section 2.3.

2.3 Third Party Service Providers

PASMA uses the third-party platforms in the delivery of member services:

This can include but is not limited to communication and payment services.
PASMA does not authorize any third party to use member data for any purpose other than delivery of PASMA servicing.
Third parties will operate under their own Privacy Policy.

2.4 Anonymous Posting — Specific Disclosure

The PASMA forum includes an opt-in anonymous posting feature available to paid Members. Members who use this feature should be aware of the following:

Your display name will appear as “Anonymous” to all other platform users including other Members and Subscribers
Your real identity — including your account username and display name — is retained in the platform database and is visible to PASMA site administrators
Your real identity is also available to PASMA Administrators and Moderators, which may include members of the PASMA Board of Directors, for purposes of professional review and enforcement of these Terms
Your real identity is never disclosed to other members without your consent except where required by law or to address a serious safety or legal concern
Anonymous posting is a platform feature designed to support open professional discussion — it does not constitute complete anonymity from PASMA administration

2.5 California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

PASMA serves members located in California and complies with the California Consumer Privacy Act. California residents have the following rights with respect to their personal information:

The right to know what personal information PASMA has collected and how it is used
The right to request deletion of personal information held by PASMA, subject to certain exceptions
The right to opt out of the sale of personal information — PASMA does not sell personal information
The right to non-discrimination for exercising any of the above rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact PASMA at info@pasmaonline.org. PASMA will respond to verified requests within 45 days.

2.6 Data Retention

PASMA retains member account information for the duration of membership and for a reasonable period thereafter for administrative purposes. Forum content posted by members is retained as part of the platform record. Members may request removal of specific content by contacting info@pasmaonline.org.

2.7 Data Security

PASMA takes reasonable technical and administrative measures to protect member information from unauthorized access, disclosure, or loss. The platform operates over HTTPS with SSL encryption. Passwords are stored in encrypted form and are not accessible to administrators.

No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. PASMA cannot warrant the absolute security of information transmitted to or from the platform.

2.8 Communications and Unsubscribe

Subscribers and Members receive PASMA communications including newsletters, meeting notices, and forum digests via MailChimp. All email communications include an unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing from email communications does not affect your account status or platform access.

To fully close your account or request removal of all personal data, contact info@pasmaonline.org.

Section 3 — Forum Disclaimer

3.1 Nature of Forum Content

The PASMA forum is a peer discussion platform through which safety professionals share experience, perspective, and knowledge. Forum content reflects the individual views and professional experience of contributing members and does not represent the official position of PASMA, any member’s employing agency, or any regulatory authority.

3.2 Professional Judgment Standard

Forum discussions reflect the experience and perspectives of individual PASMA members and are provided to support peer learning and professional development. Members retain full responsibility for evaluating forum content against their agency’s specific requirements, applicable regulations, and their own professional judgment before taking any action in reliance on forum content.

PASMA does not review, verify, or endorse the accuracy of individual forum posts. The presence of content on the PASMA forum does not constitute a recommendation, endorsement, or professional opinion of PASMA.

3.3 Health & Safety Content — Elevated Standard of Care

Members are reminded that the subject matter of this platform — public agency health and safety management — carries elevated professional responsibility. Forum discussions may reference regulatory requirements, safety procedures, incident management, and compliance practices. Members must apply particular professional diligence when considering forum content in connection with:

CalOSHA regulatory compliance
Incident investigation and reporting
Safety program design and implementation
Emergency response planning
Worker’s compensation and liability matters

No forum post, however detailed or well-intentioned, substitutes for independent professional review, applicable regulatory guidance, or legal counsel where warranted.

3.4 Anonymous Posts

The PASMA forum includes an opt-in anonymous posting feature. Anonymous posts are subject to the same professional standards as identified posts. PASMA Administrators and Moderators, which may include members of the PASMA Board of Directors, retain the ability to identify the author of any anonymous post for platform integrity and professional review purposes. Members should not assume that anonymous posting provides protection from accountability for content that violates these terms.

Content — whether posted anonymously or under a member’s identified name — that Administrators or Moderators determine, in their sole discretion, to be inappropriate or materially inaccurate or misleading may be removed without prior notice.

3.5 PASMA’s Role

PASMA provides and maintains the forum platform. PASMA is not a party to individual forum discussions and does not assume responsibility for the content of member posts. PASMA reserves the right to remove content that violates these terms or that PASMA determines in its sole discretion to be harmful, inappropriate, or contrary to the professional standards of the association.

3.6 Content Moderation and Membership Revocation for Cause

Repeated anonymous postings, or repeated postings of any kind, that violate these Terms may result in a member’s full membership status being reviewed, suspended, or revoked by PASMA.

PASMA Administrators and Moderators, which may include members of the PASMA Board of Directors, reserve the right to revoke a member’s platform access immediately and without prior notice where such action is deemed necessary, in their sole discretion, to protect the integrity of the platform, its members, or the Association.

This authority is in addition to, and does not limit, PASMA’s general right under Section 1.3 to approve, decline, or revoke membership at its sole discretion.

Section 4 — Resource Library Disclaimer

4.1 Public Resource Library

The PASMA public resource library contains links to external resources including government agencies, regulatory bodies, training providers, and professional organizations. These links are provided as a convenience to support awareness of available health and safety resources.

Resources linked on this page are provided as a convenience to support awareness of available health and safety resources. Users are responsible for independently evaluating the suitability and accuracy of any linked content before reliance on it in their professional capacity.

PASMA is not responsible for the content, availability, or privacy practices of external websites. The inclusion of a link does not imply any relationship between PASMA and the linked organization beyond acknowledgment of the resource’s potential relevance to public agency safety professionals.

4.2 Member Resource Library — Templates and Reference Documents

The PASMA Member Area resource library contains templates, reference documents, tools, and other materials developed or curated to support public agency safety practice. These materials are made available to paid Members as professional reference resources.

Templates and reference documents are provided as professional starting points informed by industry experience and practice. They are not jurisdiction-specific and do not account for the unique regulatory environment, organizational structure, risk profile, or legal obligations of any individual agency. The member or agency adopting any template or resource bears full professional responsibility for its independent review, adaptation, and implementation.

4.3 Template Use — Professional Responsibility

Members who download and use PASMA templates acknowledge and agree to the following:

Templates are reference tools designed to support professional work — they are not ready-to-use documents applicable without review and adaptation
Every template must be reviewed and adapted by a qualified safety professional with knowledge of the applicable regulatory environment, agency-specific requirements, and relevant law
PASMA makes no warranty that any template meets the requirements of any specific jurisdiction, regulatory body, or agency
Implementation of any template or document derived from PASMA resources is the sole professional responsibility of the implementing member and their employing agency
PASMA is not liable for any outcome — including regulatory findings, incidents, or legal proceedings — arising from the use or misuse of any template or resource

PASMA encourages members to engage qualified legal counsel or regulatory specialists when implementing safety programs or documents with significant compliance implications.

4.4 Currency of Resources

Safety regulations, standards, and best practices evolve. PASMA makes reasonable efforts to maintain current and relevant resources but does not guarantee that any resource reflects the most current regulatory requirements at the time of use. Members are responsible for verifying the currency and applicability of all resources against current authoritative sources before reliance.

Section 5 — Member Communications Disclaimer

5.1 Newsletters and Meeting Notices

PASMA newsletters and meeting notices are provided to keep members informed of association activities, industry developments, and matters of professional relevance to public agency safety management. This content is curated and produced to support member awareness and professional development.

Newsletter content is informational in nature and is intended to support the awareness and professional development of qualified safety practitioners. Members are responsible for independently verifying regulatory, legislative, and compliance information against authoritative sources before relying on it in their professional capacity or in connection with any agency decision or action.

5.2 Forum Topic Digest

The weekly forum topic digest curates and summarizes recent forum discussions for delivery to Subscribers and Members by email. Digest content reflects member forum posts and is subject to the forum disclaimer in Section 3. Inclusion of a topic in the digest does not constitute endorsement or verification of the content by PASMA.

5.3 No Regulatory or Legal Advice

No PASMA communication — including newsletters, meeting notices, forum digests, or any other platform content — constitutes legal advice, regulatory guidance, or a formal professional opinion. Where regulatory compliance, legal