ICE: In Case of Emergency, ICE your cell phone!

[Cindy Lyman]

ICE: In Case of Emergency

Do you want a simple and effective way of providing emergency responders with a direct line to you?

You carry information in your cell phone that would allow emergency personnel to contact a family member or friend, but how are they to locate it during an emergency? 

Simple: "ICE " your cell phone!

THE ORIGIN OF ‘ICE’

Every day, thousands of emergency calls are placed.  These situations require split-second decisions to aid them during the ‘Golden Hour’ they have available to save lives.

The original concept, conceived by Cambridge, England paramedic Bob Brotchie, involved putting the acronym ICE in front of your designated emergency contact.

The idea is that you store the word “ICE” in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of Emergency”.  Additionally, you would want to enter the name of the individual so your display would read: “ICE Heather’ indicating the person’s name.

In an emergency, ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin [or other emergency contacts] are and be able to contact them.

It’s as simple as that, and for more than one contact name, you can use ICE1, ICE2, ICE3, etc.

USE THIS LIST TO GET THE MOST OUT OF ICE’NG YOUR CELL PHONES

·         Make sure the person whose name and number you are using has agreed to be your ICE partner.

·         Make sure your ICE partner has a list of people they should contact on your behalf, including your place of employment.

·         Make sure to include every phone for that individual: Home, Work, and Cell/Mobile.

·         Make sure your ICE partner’s number is their quickest number to contact; for example, a home number could be useless in an emergency if the person works full time.

·         Make sure your ICE partner knows about any medical condition that could affect your emergency treatment. For example: Any allergies or current medications.

·         Make sure that if you are under 18, your ICE partner is a parent or guardian authorized to make decisions on your behalf.  For example, should you need a life-or-death operation.

·         Always enter your ICE contact to include the name of your ICE partner. For example: ICE_Heather

·        Should your preferred contact be deaf, then type ICETEXT, then the name of your contact before saving the number.

·         Make sure to place a sticker on or near the photo ID stating “ICE”

·         Another idea would be attaching a sticker on the cell phone stating “ICE Loaded”.  Some cell phones allow you to name the opening screen.  This name is visible when the cell phone is turned on.  Simply re-name the ‘wallpaper’ screen “ICE Loaded”.

·         Once you have entered your ICE partner, that individual’s name may not appear on your contact list. With some phones, the ICE entry may act as a duplicate, so deleting and re-entering an existing contact may be needed.,

·         Once you have entered your ICE contact, verify by scrolling through the cell phone’s contact list. 

Thanks go to Visiting Angels, living assistance services, for the information about ICE. 707.442.8001

Cindy Lyman