ICE Your Cell Phone For Safety

Contact Info Saved In Devices Could Help Owners In Distress

(CBS)  But, with ICE before the contact person's name, all a paramedic has to do is search for "ice" to quickly get the name of the person to call.

"The advice," Brotchie says, "is that you first agree with that person that they be that contact, so they're aware of it. They must (be able to) confirm your date of birth, your name, preferably your address. Hopefully, things such as allergies, blood type, any previous medical history that may be relevant, and then we can get that information to the hospital, perhaps before we leave the scene of an accident, and that will expedite treatment. The hope is that the next-of-kin contact can meet us at the hospital at the same time and the treatment will be as rapid as it could possibly be."

Brotchie admits ICE isn't foolproof: "Where somebody locks the phone out, it's not for them at this time. And if the phone is broken in an incident or an accident, it's not going to work. Some may not agree with it. If you don't agree with it, we put information on our Web site so you can carry a card or some sort of contact information.

"The whole idea is that people should provide information for the emergency services to help treat you at the scene of an incident."

Brotchie says ICE could literally be a lifesaver: "It's certainly got the potential to save lives. What is more important, or more likely, is that it will expedite treatment and help people at the earliest opportunity. That's been shown to have major beneficial effects."