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Tue 12 Jul, 2005 03:36 pm
I'm not sure where to post this, so if one of the "powers that be" can move it to a better area, please do so.
This is a really good idea that I have just received via email, particularly in light of last week's atrocities in London.
Here in the UK, the East Anglian Ambulance Service has launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)" campaign with the support of Falkland's war hero Simon Weston and in association with Vodafone's annual life savers award.
The idea is that you store the word " I C E " 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".
In an emergency situation, ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them.
It's so simple that everyone can do it, and yet it really could save your life.
For more than one contact name ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc......
Any UK members reading this, can log this into their phones straight away, as it is a recognised code that all Emergency services here have been made aware of in the past week.
However, any USA members who think that they could take this idea (oops, sudden thought....it may be a USA idea that has come over here...if so, ignore the next bit) forward over there, and get it recognised as a national emergency code, please have a go, as it could really speed things up when someone has been injured.
What a terrific idea. It is so simple, yet is brilliant. This would be good for Canada too!
I believe that I.C.E. is the acronym for Immigration & Customs Enforcement in the U.S.A.
The next bit for the UK members, is to email their entire address list with these details, and ask them to do the same, and so on......
Pretty soon, everyone will be aware, and will have entered their I.C.E.
Later edit....Sorry, Intrepid, I didnt see you there. Yes, Canada as well....in fact ANYBODY can get it going in whatever Country, and use whatever acronym fits the language etc.
It is so simple. Why didnt anyone think of this before?
You're a Nurse, Shewolf (I know this, because everytime I see your Avatar, I think Mmmmm Spongebath).....so you would know.
Do you have anything like this in the USA? Would this prove helpful....quickly finding out allergy to drugs, blood group etc ?
Actually, I have an emergency contact at the back of
my driver's license posted, as this is the first thing
paramedics would look for: name and address, age
which is on the driver license.
My cellphone I tend to forget somewhere, someplace.....
Ah, but can they read German?
ICE reminded me of my train trips in Europe/Germany recently.
So this has become Lord Ellpus All, eh?
Good thinking, both on the part of those East Anglians and on the part of Lordofsomeofwhathesurveys for starting this thread . . .
Lord Ellpus wrote:Ah, but can they read German?
No, but my driver license is from California Spanky.
Many of us here in the US have taken care to have our vital information listed with friends and close relatives, especially since the Terri Schiavo debacle. Living Wills, lists of allergies, medical information, contacts--all have been copied. Like CJ, I often forget my cell phone, but I'll still put a speed dial number for emergencies. Good idea.
Lord Ellpus wrote:You're a Nurse, Shewolf (I know this, because everytime I see your Avatar, I think Mmmmm Spongebath).....so you would know.
Do you have anything like this in the USA? Would this prove helpful....quickly finding out allergy to drugs, blood group etc ?
Ill give you a spongebath. In my little white hat and short white dress...
Oh wait.. that wasn't your question.. ;-)
No. we don't have anything that specific here in america.
The closest we come is ID style bracelets.
They have medical information such as Diabetes info, heart problems, etc..etc... Not ALWAYS do they have drug allergies, closest contact.. or other basic things like that.
Oh yeah. When I was working in the hospital, something like that would have been ( dare I say it ) a GODSEND!
Hopefully, something like this will work its way into our society as well.
Ah, memories...
ICE has a long and colourful history down here in the land of the Long White Sheep. In boarding school, many years ago, the priests would make us wear a ICE badge when we had reached twelve years of age, and had passed certain private tests.
The first two words were ""I Can.."" I can't see to spell the last one, because my sight is not what it used to be.
No fair, Mirriwinni. Tell.
BTW, welcome to a2k.
Yes we got that ICE idea circulated at work on Monday.
(It also stands for The Institution of Civil Engineers, btw)
Thanks milord. All done.
Well done to the British police, too. Exemplary, speedy.
(Just think, when we all have to carry ID cards, all criminals will be caught and banged up in 48 hours, max. We'll need to turn the Isle of Wight into an off-shore penal colony, not enough prisons at the mo.)
It was on the news just now and I programmed it in straight away before I forgot. Such a simple and good idea.
so, this is only effective for people with personal cell phones right?
MEANING.. there isnt a database with all of this info in it somewhere that any emergency worker can access right?
right
It could be usefuln to medical staff/rescue workers if you were unconscious or ....worst case scenario ..... popped your clogs.
hmmm..
silly question ( knowing people will be like this.....)
I wonder if the emergency workers and doctors will be safe from being sued for air time?
You KNOW there will be someone sometime who survived due to the ER workers using thier cellphones who will demand THEY pay the cell bill..
I also recently read about ICE here are the drawbacks:
1)The cell phone has to remain with the victim (or otherwise be indentifiable as his) in order to be of use. While most wallets and purses will contain some items bearing photographs that can be matched to their owners (such as driver's licenses), a cell phone doesn't necessarily provide any direct means of identifying its owner. And while any form of ID can become separated from the person bearing it, a cell phone is an object frequently carried in hand, greatly increasing the chances of its loss in an accident.
2)A cell phone can be damaged to the point that information stored in (or through) it is no longer retrievable. This is also true of other forms of identification (a piece of paper or a card can be rendered unreadable by fire or water damage), but non-electronic devices will generally survive falls or impacts that might otherwise render cell phones non-functional.
3)Cell phones come in many different brands and varieties, and how to retrieve stored information may not be immediately apparent to someone trying to work with an unfamiliar type of phone.
But it certainly cannot hurt to program the info in!
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