SMS Consent

Purpose of SMS

Rapid Cortex SMS is used only for dispatcher-initiated, incident-specific outreach tied to an active public safety contact. Recipients are individuals who have contacted 911 or another public safety communications center and are engaged in that incident context. Messages are not sent for marketing, promotions, advertising, or unsolicited outreach.

This is not a mass-notification or public emergency alerting service. Use is limited to authorized agency workflows within Rapid Cortex for the incident at hand.

How consent is collected

Verbal consent during the active call:Before an SMS is sent, a trained public safety telecommunicator obtains the caller's (or other involved party's) agreement on the recorded or monitored voice channel, in line with agency policy and applicable law.

Confirmation in Rapid Cortex: Dispatchers record consent by confirming within the Rapid Cortex application that the required verbal consent was obtained before the system sends the message. No message is sent from Rapid Cortex for this workflow without that confirmation.

Dispatcher verbal consent script (example)

Agencies may adapt wording to policy; the script below reflects the intended meaning for toll-free and carrier disclosure.

“I'm going to send you a text message from our agency's number to help with [state the incident-specific purpose—for example, a secure link to upload a photo or video, a link to clarify a location, or translation assistance]. This text is only for this incident—not for marketing. Standard message and data rates may apply. Do you agree to receive this text?”

The dispatcher proceeds only after an affirmative response (for example, “yes,” “I agree,” or equivalent) consistent with agency procedures.

What SMS messages may include

Incident-related content may include, as appropriate to the situation:

• Secure upload links for photos or video related to the active incident
• Location clarification links
• Translation or language-assistance links
• Incident-specific follow-up instructions
• Requests for information related to the active incident

Consent records

When an agency uses Rapid Cortex for this workflow, the platform is designed to support an auditable record aligned to agency operations. Depending on configuration, consent-related records may include fields such as:

• Agency ID
• Dispatcher user ID
• Incident ID
• Caller phone number (E.164 or as stored per agency policy)
• Timestamp
• Message purpose (category or description tied to the incident)
• Consent confirmation (for example, dispatcher attestation that verbal consent was obtained)

Exact fields and retention follow the agency's configuration, contract, and applicable law. Privacy policy describes personal data handling at a high level.

STOP, HELP, and frequency

• STOP: Recipients may reply STOP to opt out of further SMS from that workflow where supported by the carrier and agency configuration. Reply STOP may not unsubscribe the caller from emergency voice service or other non-SMS channels.
• HELP: Recipients may reply HELP for a short explanation of the program or a support contact provided by the agency, when available.
• Frequency and rates: Message frequency varies with incident activity. Message and data rates may apply.

No sale of SMS consent for marketing

SMS consent obtained for this dispatcher-initiated, incident-specific workflow is not sold, rented, or shared for marketing purposes. Communications are limited to public safety incident workflows and authorized agency use of Rapid Cortex.

Operator

Rapid Cortex is offered by Apps on Demand. For questions about this disclosure, contact your agency administrator or reach us via the contact page.