This is some information regarding a standard procedure that all paramedics follow at the scene of an accident when they come across your cell phone. This is called In Case of Emergency –ICE–.We all carry our mobile phones with names and numbers stored in its memory, but no one, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends. If we were involved in an accident or became ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone, but they wouldn’t know who to call. Hundreds of numbers are stored in a given cell phone, but how can you tell which one is the emergency contact? Hence this “ICE” campaign.

The concept of ICE is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name ICE. The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found out that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they had no clue which number to call. He therefore thought it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose.

In an emergency, the EMT on the scene will look for your phone and upon finding it, will then search the I’s first. An additional trick is placing parentheses around the ICE. This way it actually shows up first in the contacts list. I encourage all of us to place this number in our cell phones. Please tell your friends and family to do the same.

The difference of 5 minutes can save a life. Do all that you can to ensure you are protected in the event of an emergency.