2PreciousBlessings
The Perfect Pair
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Important Information - Cell Phone
Contacts stored on a cell phone can be lifesavers
By Andrea Kelly
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
A grass-roots effort that started in England to have cell-phone users keep emergency-contact information is catching on here.
The method is as simple as adding three letters to an entry in your cell-phone contacts list.
ICE - the acronym for In Case of Emergency - can be used by emergency crews to contact a loved one when a patient is unable to communicate.
"It's another great tool that the public can use so that we can identify who they are," said Sgt. Kerry Fuller, spokeswoman for the Tucson Police Department. "Almost everybody, even children nowadays, carry cell phones."
Officials from Northwest Fire/Rescue District, the Tucson Fire Department, Tucson Medical Center and the Tucson Police Department all say this is another way they may be able to help someone who is incapacitated during an emergency.
The effort was started by a paramedic in England a few months before the London subway bombings in July.
For example, instead of entering "mom cell," in your phone book, put "ICE Kim mom," or even add more than one contact by putting numbers with the acronym. That way, if ICE1 isn't available, emergency medical responders can try another entry, such as "ICE2 Jim brother."
"One of the most important things we can do is finding next of kin if someone is seriously injured or deceased," Fuller said. "Sometimes it can take days, sometimes it can take longer. It's so important that the family knows that they've lost somebody, or that they need to get to the hospital."
Tucson Fire Department Capt. Paul McDonough has been talking about the grass-roots campaign this month on Channel 12's On Scene program, which runs on local cable several times a week and is dedicated to information from and about the Tucson Police Department and the Tucson Fire Department.
"It's a good idea that allows us another way to identify somebody in the event that they're separated from their wallet or ID," McDonough said.
But he cautions that cell-phone users make sure their ICE contacts know what to do when they receive a call. Arizona has a high incidence of ID theft, and emergency contacts should be advised what kind of information they should and should not give out.
Emergency responders will not ask for any financial information, McDonough said. If you are called from a loved one's phone and asked to give financial or personal information, such as the person's Social Security number, do not give out the information.
Officials also caution cell-phone users that ICE contacts should not replace medical bracelets or necklaces notifying them of medical conditions or allergies, nor does it replace keeping emergency contact information in a wallet.
Emergency contacts should be prepared to tell emergency responders your medical history, any allergies you have, and any medications you are taking.
McDonough said Tucson Fire alerted its employees that this trend is catching on, and Katy Heiden, Northwest Fire District spokeswoman, said the department is considering actively promoting ICE contacts and that emergency crews should look for them in cell phones if necessary on-scene.
"I've not met anyone who doesn't think it's a good idea," Heiden said.
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