Got this in e-mail and thought to share it.



ICE (In Case of Emergency)
Isn't it true that we all carry our mobile phones with hundreds of names/numbers stored in its memory but yet nobody, other than ourselves, know which of these numbers belong to our near and dear ones?

Let us for a moment create a scenario wherein (God forbid) we are involved in an accident or had a heart attack and the people attending us get hold of our mobile phone but don't' know which number to call to inform our family members. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? For this reason, we must have one or more telephone numbers stored under the name ICE (in case of emergency) in our mobile phones.

Read below for more details..... .
Recently, the concept of "ICE" is catching up quickly. It is simply, an important method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted at during emergency as "ICE" (meaning In Case Of Emergency).. The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. Following a disaster in London, the East Anglican Ambulance Service has launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)" Campaign.

In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin by simply dialing the number stored as "ICE".

Please forward this. It won't take too many "forwards" before everybody will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference! Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our mobile phones today!

I like the idea but I wish they have chosen the word ( HELP ) or (SOS) which more recognizeable.

Anywayz

One could place an entry under all three with the same information. It only takes a minute to make one and phones hold hundreds of entries.

I asked a cousin of mine who is a volunteer firefighter if he had heard of it and he had not, so there are places where its not known.
I think I would just print up a small card with your information and laminate it.

Thank You Chisel for addressing this topic. My brother-in-law is a first responder and he always looks for an ICE number in any cell phone he finds at a scene. I like the idea of multiple listings as a primary contact might not be available.
Question-should one include in the ICE a contact name such as ICE1-Catherine. ICE2-Steve. ICE3-Sara. ICE4-Michael. etc.?

Eugene______ Why not both , You may leave your area someday and the Emergency personnel in that area may look on the phones for ICE. Double protection isn't bad, and it cost nothing.

Thats the best way, what I was trying to say was don't rely on ICE in the phone because not every responded knows of it.

If you put things like "MOTHER" and "FATHER" or "HOME" they will use those, especially HOME.
Now if you don't have a living parent or anyone at your house that cares about you then I can see ICE being a good thing.

Added 'I.C.E.' entry to my cell phone.

Thanks!

The I.C.E. e-mail is definitely making the rounds again. We had a previous discussion on this topic before. You can find it here
I still don't believe this is a good idea at all. I stand by what I said about the cell phone issue before. To paraphrase, I have too many other things to do for patient care than to look for certain numbers to call. How would you feel if a complete stranger called you and said "This is Joe, I am a Paramedic, your friend, or loved one, is hurt, tell me if they have any illnesses I need to know about? Oh and what meds are they on?" I don't think I would enjoy such a call. I can only imagine the emotions going through the receiving persons mind when you make a call like this.

I have also heard there is a scam where a person call you on either your home phone, or cell phone and says they are from such and such medical center, or hospital and a neighbor, friend etc. was just brought to the emergency room from a car accident. We don't know much right now...but your friend wanted you to know. Call this number in an hour (they give number) and we will update you. The number you call routes the call to a Bahamas address and they charge you $200-$1000 a minute for the call and then you learn you are scammed. The cell provider I use told me this one (T-Mobile) and now I am very cautious about out of area calls. The Hospitals I know won't tell you much of anything if you call. This is to protect patient rights.

Stargazer

I would imagine that if the paramedics at the scene didn't have the time or need to call, the hospital still might. And if you had Parent, Wife, Son (etc) listed, they would be the first called, and the hospital would probably be willing to give them more info, or at least ask them to please get to the hospital.

How much more dangerous is having the ICE numbers on your phone than just the regular numbers you keep there???

Sue