by Ted Legg
ICE-ing Your Phone – ICE meaning ‘In Case of Emergency’.
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends – or indeed the number that you would want dialed in the case of an emergency.
If we were to be involved in an accident and/or were taken ill and are not able to communicate, the people attending us may very well have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored on our cell phones but which one is the person to contact in case of an emergency? This posed a dilemma for Emergency Response personnel and so the ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) Campaign was begun.
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he 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. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to contact the right person quickly by simply dialing the number you have stored as ‘ICE.’
(Note: For more than one contact name, simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.) A great idea that will make a difference!
Apparently this looking at cell phone ICE numbers has now become a standard procedure paramedics to follow at the scene of an accident when they come across your cell phone.
By the way, the ICE menu can be accessed on your phone even if your phone is password-protected. However ICE information cannot be changed or altered without gaining access to your phone.
The concept of ‘ICE’ is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact someone during emergency situations. As cell (mobile) 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 Menu Name ‘ICE’ (In Case Of Emergency).
Let’s spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today! Who knows ICE may very well speak for you when you are not able to.
