1. What is a cookie?

Cookies are small information files which can be stored on your computer when you visit websites and contain a unique identification number. Information, such as your language preference for a website, is stored in a text file. When you visit the website again later, this cookie will be sent to the website again. This allows the website to recognise your browser and, for example, to remember your language preference.

Cookies make access to websites easier and their use faster and more efficient. They can also be used to personalise websites according to your personal preferences. Cookies also allow us to analyse the use of a website in order to identify and remove any bottlenecks. 

We distinguish the following types of cookies:

• Origin
  • First-party cookies: these cookies are placed on the site itself by the responsible party.
  • Third-party cookies: these cookies are placed on the site by a third party with a different domain name.
    No third party cookies will be set when you visit our site, but this may be the case when you leave our website by clicking on an external link (see below, point 4).
• Storage period
  • Session cookies: these cookies are automatically deleted when the user closes the browser.
  • Permanent cookies: these cookies remain on your hard drive until they are deleted or until a certain period has passed.
• Purpose
  • Essential cookies: these cookies are necessary for purely technical reasons for the normal operation of the website. Given the technical necessity of these cookies, only an information obligation applies. These cookies are placed as soon as you visit the site and cannot be refused.
  • Functional cookies: these cookies store information about your choices and preferences on a site. The visitor who accepts these cookies will be able to navigate optimally through the website. The cookies are only placed after the visitor has chosen to accept them.
  • Analytical cookies: these cookies collect information about visitor behaviour and site performance. The information collected is processed to improve the content of the site and optimise the user experience. These cookies are only placed if the visitor has given permission. This type of cookies can therefore be refused.

2. Why do we use cookies?

The DGCS uses functional cookies to manage the content of its website. Below is a list of all cookies used:

3. How can I see what cookies have been placed on my device, and how can I delete them?

If you want to know what cookies have been placed on your device, or if you want to delete them, you can use a setting in your browser. Via the links below you can find more information on how to do this.

• Chrome: desktop – mobile
• Firefox: desktop – mobile
• Internet Explorer: desktop
• Microsoft Edge: desktop
• Safari: desktop – mobile

Are you using a different browser? Check if the procedure for your browser is included on the website allaboutcookies.org.

4. External links

The DGCS has placed external links on its website that redirect the visitor to a third-party site to document certain information and share additional information, for example, the site of a fire academy or a province, or to Facebook or Twitter. Consulting a third-party site is always the responsibility of the visitor. The DGSC advises you to consult both the privacy notice and the cookie policy of the website in question, as we have no control over the use of cookies on third-party sites. In any case, no third party cookies will be placed on your device if you do not click on these links.

This cookie policy was last amended and revised on April 19, 2022.