Public Service Announcement ICE your Cell phone

[JustMVG]

"Paramedics will turn to a victim's cell phone for clues to that
person's identity. You can make their job much easier with a simple idea that
they are trying to get everyone to adopt: ICE.
"ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you add an entry in the
contacts list in your cell phone under ICE, with the name and phone no. of
the person that the emergency services should call on your behalf, you
can save them a lot of time and have your loved ones contacted quickly.
It
only takes a few moments of your time to do.
"Paramedics know what ICE means and they look for it immediately. ICE
your cell phone now!"

[BigBlockBaja]

great idea.. Think im going to do that.

[ColeTR2]

Everyone should do this :D

[charlyox]

It is done!

[CandyA$$]

Wow amazing I just read that in my email then came over to check the boards and found it again.
I just might actually do this, but can I do 2.

[RVRGIRL]

It's a done deal. It's a great idea. I work in the health care field and I will let everyone know of this great idea.

[Sane Asylum]

Hang on..........That makes way too much sense........I'm in.....

[Just Tool'n]

I think this is a good idea, but let's check the practicality of it.
Why dont we check with the resident expert " Boatcop" and see if he has been on any medical emergency's & see if they check for ICE.

[Supultlbich]

I have been a paramedic for the better part of ten years, and I know that the cell phone craze has only been around for the last five years or so, but I have never been instructed to, or seen any standard operating procedure that says to look at a patients cell phone at the time of contacting them.
I also think that with all of the new laws on privacy it would be invasion of privacy to look at someones cell phone to try and get information. Even under such laws as implied consent.( laws that allow paramedics to treat you if you are unconcious or otherwise debilitated)
Sorry to burst the bubble, but at least here in the OC we dont make it a habit of looking at peoples cell phones to identify them, we would rather spend our time treating and transporting them to the most appropriate facility, and letting the hospital staff take care of notifying families.
If you were injured and unconscious would it matter what your name was, or would it matter how quickly you were packaged and triaged to the hospital?
Just my humble perspective, doesnt mean that it isnt an option, just shouldnt be the #1 priority at the scene of an emergency.

[Boatcop]

I agree with the previous post. I've never heard of using "ICE" for in case of emergency, on a cell phone. Heck, a Cop might take that to be their meth (Ice) connection phone number.
We don't call next of kin at the scene of an accident. Usually that's done once things settle down, and the victim is at the hospital. Rarely does the cell phone accompany an injured person. And in traffic accidents severe enough for the person to be unconscious, junk is strewn all over the place and finding a cell phone is the least of our priorities.
Better to have a business card or note in your wallet for who to call. The one thing we always look for is identification and/or medicalert card. You'll stand a better chance of a loved one being notified of an emergency that way, than some code in your cell phone.

[Forkin' Crazy]

That is what I was thinking. :hammerhea
Thanks! :)

[Supultlbich]

Besides I have enough trouble finding the contact list on my own phone....... let alone trying to first find the phone, then figure out how to use it!!!

[JustMVG]

I saw it and when i did thought it was a neat idea, but after reading the above posts, i see the logic, one of those it sounded good at the time things.....

[Supultlbich]

Not a bad Idea, just not very practicle. Thats the best thing about these forums, good sharing of information amoung friends :)

[desertbird]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/17/AR2005071700879.html?nav=rss_nation
'ICE' Cell Phone Plan Would Help Rescuers
Idea to Designate Next of Kin in Electronic Address Book Is Gaining PopularityBy Sam Coates
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 18, 2005; Page A06
To its owner, the cell phone is an indispensable lifeline at times of crisis, reuniting loved ones separated by unforeseen events at the touch of a button. But for members of the emergency services making life-and-death decisions, the cell poses a conundrum: Which of the numbers stored in its electronic address book should they call to reach a casualty's next of kin?
Now a simple initiative, conceived by a paramedic in Britain, has gained momentum on both sides of the Atlantic to try to solve this problem. Cell users are being urged to put the acronym ICE -- "in case of emergency" -- before the names of the people they want to designate as next of kin in their cell address book, creating entries such as "ICE -- Dad" or "ICE -- Alison."
At least two police forces in the United States are considering the idea, according to the initiative's British-based promoters, who say there has been a flurry of interest since the recent bombings in London.
Paramedics, police and firefighters often waste valuable time trying to figure out which name in a cell phone to call when disaster strikes, according to current and retired members of the emergency services, who said they must look through wallets for clues, or scroll through cell address books and guess. Many people identify their spouse by name in their cell, making them indistinguishable from other entries.
"Sometimes dialing the number for 'Mum' or 'Dad' might not be appropriate, particularly if they are elderly, suffer from ill health or Alzheimer's," said Matthew Ware, a spokesman for the East Anglian Ambulance service, which is promoting the ICE initiative. "This would give paramedics a way of getting hold of the appropriate person in a few seconds."
The idea was conceived by Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for the ambulance service, after years of trying to reach relatives of people he was treating. He began the ICE initiative in April, but it gained momentum only after the bombings in London, when information about the plan spread by e-mail. Ware said the East Anglian Ambulance service received 500 inquiries in six days, from South Africa, Canada, Israel, Germany, and several organizations in the United States, including a security company from Utah working on the London bombings, police departments in Florida and Texas, and a company in Ohio.
Lt. Robert Stimpson, acting police chief of Madison, Conn., was one of those who contacted Ware. "I think it's a great idea. . . . It's so simple I can't believe that other people haven't thought of it before. Not only does it help emergency workers identify a responsible party when they come upon an unconscious person, it also helps identify the owners of lost cell phones," he said in a telephone interview.
Several next-of-kin contact systems were set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, such as the nonprofit National Next of Kin Registry established in January 2004 that shares information provided to state agencies in the event of an emergency. The registry was set up by Mark Cerney, a disabled Marine who noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2003, 900,000 emergency room patients could not provide contact information because they were incapacitated.
Ware said that although there are such databases, some charge as much as $200 a year to register. The ICE initiative is available free to the 192 million cell users in the United States.
Kathleen Montgomery, deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said she did not have any comment on the matter because it was not the department's idea. Instead, she recommended that citizens look at the department's emergency preparedness site, Ready.Gov. The site recommends that next-of-kin details and other emergency information be kept on a "family contingency plan" sheet that can be downloaded from the site.
The site offers wallet-size cards that can be distributed to family members with space for details about next of kin and additional information such as neighborhood meeting places, out-of-town contacts and other important telephone numbers.
Erin McGee, spokeswoman for the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, which represents the wireless industry, said her members welcome the ICE initiative. "I think it has the potential to catch on. From what I've read, it seems to be already spreading beyond Britain."
Clark L. Staten, a senior analyst for the Emergency Response and Research Institute, a Chicago-based consultancy and think tank for the emergency services and military, said he thinks it sounds like a good idea, but could have a couple of pitfalls.
"There may be some privacy concerns: firstly, that the next of kin or the address or phone number could be accessed by someone other than a member of the emergency service," he said. "Secondarily, the information could become out of date, and the designated next-of-kin number is disconnected or you change your next of kin altogether. The worst -- you don't want them to call the ex."

[CandyA$$]

Ok I am doing both the wallet card and the ICE on my cell phone.
After reading the above post and doing some check into it, it is worth it.
Ready awareness (http://www.ready.gov/overview.html)

[Supultlbich]

Wont change your treatment in the least, in fact probably will delay it, but do as you will. If your mother wasnt breathing, would you rather we look for her cell phone to call you, or stabilize her airway??
This is a pipe dream ands will never be reality.

[CandyA$$]

Wont change your treatment in the least, in fact probably will delay it, but do as you will. If your mother wasnt breathing, would you rather we look for her cell phone to call you, or stabilize her airway??
This is a pipe dream ands will never be reality.
Ok lets get something straight, paramedics are going to stablize you, get you to a hospital. Cops will bring all belongings to hospital, but in the process look up your driver license, and then look for emergency contacts.
Am I right? I think so.

[Nord]

Yeah, so when someone picks up your cell phone when you lose it or they steal it, they can have some personal info on you!!! No thanks!

[CandyA$$]

Yeah, so when someone picks up your cell phone when you lose it or they steal it, they can have some personal info on you!!! No thanks!
The only info is that this is the person to call, no other information listed.
Hey if someone finds your phone no matter what they can get info on you, geesh

[Nord]

just giving you a hard time :rollside:
Don't be sensitive :D :D

[CandyA$$]

just giving you a hard time :rollside:
Don't be sensitive :D :D
:D

[Supultlbich]

What I'm trying to tell you in easiest way I can is that when someone is dying in front of me, I dont give a rats ass if they are the president of the united states or the clerk from wal-mart. Nor do i think to contact their family, it simply isnt practical and frankly doesnt matter. Identifying someone who cant identify themselves at the scene of an acident is the last thing any Cop or paramedic cares about. There is enough to do as it is.
After we leave with you in an ambulance or helicopter, or worse, you leave in the back of an unmarked white van, the highway patrol or whomever has juristiction will do there best to identify you.
Can we put this to bed already!!

[CandyA$$]

Can we put this to bed already!!
Yes, you can

[bigd1]

got mine loaded up:
http://www.rejectionhotline.com/index.php

[essexjet]

What I'm trying to tell you in easiest way I can is that when someone is dying in front of me, I dont give a rats ass if they are the president of the united states or the clerk from wal-mart. Nor do i think to contact their family, it simply isnt practical and frankly doesnt matter. Identifying someone who cant identify themselves at the scene of an acident is the last thing any Cop or paramedic cares about. There is enough to do as it is.
After we leave with you in an ambulance or helicopter, or worse, you leave in the back of an unmarked white van, the highway patrol or whomever has juristiction will do there best to identify you.
Can we put this to bed already!!
Agree 100%. Been a paramedic for only four years now and have yet looked at someones cell phone. I only look in wallets for name, address and DOB, if I cant find it then oh well its John/Jane Doe.