Download the ICE poster [HERE]

Putting ICE along with a name and telephone number will enable the emergency services to contact your family in the event of an emergency.

There is no simpler way of letting the emergency services know who to contact should you be involved in an accident than by using ICE. Standing for In Case of Emergency, ICE will allow ambulance crews and police officers to quickly contact a nominated person who can be informed of the incident.

1. Type the acronym ICE followed by a contact name (for example, ICE - Mom or ICE - David) into the address book of your mobile phone
2. Save their phone number
3. Tell your ICE contact that you have nominated them

HOW I.C.E. COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

In Case of Emergency

The idea is that you store the word "ICE" 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 the case of an emergency would the police or ambulance service know who to contact? Simply type ICE plus a contact name and number into your mobile and help us to help you 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 as simple as that, and for more than one contact name you can use ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.

One of the difficulties long faced by emergency services personnel is how to locate next of kin for (or obtain other necessary information about) a victim who is unconscious, dead, or otherwise unable to respond to questions. Even if the victim is carrying one or more forms of identification which have remained with him (such as a driver's license), those items don't necessarily provide information about where and how relatives or other interested parties can be reached, resulting in delays as officials try to track those people down through ancillary details. This issue has been addressed through a variety of means over the years, as many people have taken to carrying lists of emergency contacts (and vital medical details) in their purses and wallets, or wearing items such as bracelets and necklaces with such information engraved on them.

Research shows that more than 75 per cent of people carry no details of who they would like telephoned following a serious accident. Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with ICE, emergency personnel would know immediately who to contact and what number to ring. The person may even know of their medical history.

The cell phone has to remain with the victim (or otherwise be identifiable 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.

Still, whatever the drawbacks might be to any particular scheme, carrying some type of ICE information is better than none, so if this cell phone-based campaign prompts some people who aren't already doing so to start, it's a worthwhile effort.

A campaign sponsored by local Police, Fire, EMS and the Thumb Amateur Radio Club encourages everyone who carries a cell phone to participate in this program. It costs you nothing to implement and it could save you or a loved one in case of an emergency. For more information on this program, go to the TARC club?s website: (W8AX.COM).