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No one likes to think about the possibility of being seriously
injured in an accident, but take a moment to consider what might happen
if you're rendered unconscious in an accident or other disaster. How would
authorities or emergency personnel notify your loved ones? By tracing
your car's license number or looking at your driver's license, it may be
possible to obtain your home phone number, but your loved ones may not
be there to receive the call.
Because of this difficulty in locating family members of accident
victims, the ICE idea was born. The ICE concept is simple- simply
program your cellular phone memory with the acronym ICE ("in case of
emergency") followed by the names and phone numbers of those whom
you would wish to be notified in an emergency. For example, "ICE-1 John
Smith" as a saved contact entry in your phone would alert emergency
response personnel to contact Mr. Smith at the number listed. You can
program as many numbers as you like using ICE-2, ICE-3, etc. so that
your emergency contact person's office and/or cellular phone numbers
are also recorded.
Launched in the U.K. in May 2005, ICE was the idea of East Anglian
Ambulance Service paramedic Bob Brotchie. The idea has been promoted
in a nationwide campaign in the U.K. and is gaining in popularity in the
U.S. and other countries. Stickers are commercially available (or you
can make your own) to affix to your cell phone to alert emergency
personnel to the fact that you have emergency contact information stored
in your cell phone's memory. You can also put a sticker on the back of
your driver's license or other form of identification so that rescuers
will know where to look for emergency contact information.
Programming your cell phone takes only minutes to accomplish, yet it
may save you and your loved ones hours of anguish in the
event of an emergency. Rapid access to your next of kin, who will
be able to provide your medical history and any background information needed,
can also enhance the success of your emergency treatment. |
