ICE Your Cell Phone For Safety

Contact Info Saved In Devices Could Help Owners In Distress

(CBS)  A campaign to use cell phones to help in the treatment or identification of accident and disaster victims has taken off worldwide since the first bomb attacks in London earlier this month.

Mobile phone users are being urged to enter a number in their phone's memory with the acronym ICE, for In Case of Emergency, with the contact person's name and number.

Paramedics or police would be able to swiftly to find the number and use it to reach a relative or friend who could help identify deceased victims and treat injured ones, by providing vital personal information, including details of any medical conditions.

The campaign was launched in May this year, but had limited impact until the first series of London blasts. Those explosions rendered many victims unidentifiable, which sparked an e-mail campaign to spread the ICE idea around the world.

ICE is the brainchild of British paramedic Bob Brotchie, who told The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen Tuesday the idea came to him "just from reflecting on difficulties I've had in obtaining information about patients. The vast majority of people don't carry emergency contact details or next-of-kin details, but the vast majority of people carry cell phones.

"Most (paramedics) spend time looking for a cell phone, not knowing who to call. It occurred to me there might be a uniform way of doing this."