"ICE" Your Cell phone

[mouser]

ICE YOUR PHONE: In Case of Emergency

Ken Ahonen, MD, FACEP: “Paramedics, Police Officers and Firefighters are trained to search the cell phones of people who are unconscious or otherwise incapacitated for ICE. They will call that number to notify someone and get more information. This is easy and extremely helpful. Sometimes patients are brought in to the Emergency Room and it takes hours to find a family member or significant other to help us. This new ICE system can help in a crisis. Do this right now. Get your cell phone and input a new speed dial with the name ICE. Then assign it the phone number of someone to reach In Case of Emergency.”

from http://www.andrewtobias.com/newcolumns/060814.html

[gjehle]

basically a good idea
but given the fact that i'm paranoid and have my cellphone locked with a 5 digit keycode at all times this kind of doesn't work for me :p
nevertheless, i have an entry in my phonebook called "_HOME" which is on the very top of the list ;-) kind of does the same

[xtabber]

Verizon offers a phone (Samsung Haven) designed for seniors that emphasizes simplicity and ease of use. It has both a dedicated 911 key and a dedicated ICE key. The ICE key brings up a list of up to 3 contacts to call in case of emergency, along with a medical notes field where one can provide important information to first responders.

The ICE contacts do not have to be in the regular contact list, but if they are, they are highlighted in red there, so the user can find them easily even without pressing the ICE key.

[Renegade]

Interesting. I've never heard of this before. But it does give me some ideas...

[Eóin]

Windows Mobile smartphones had the option to display contact details upon turning on the phone before you'd have to unlock it, that was also pretty useful. Wonder if Win Phone 7 has the option?

[wraith808]

It's been around for a while... surprising that if Paramedics, etc., use it, it hasn't become more widespread in announcement.  It's always been some sort of little article, or something passed around by someone else.  Made me wonder for a while if it was an urban myth, but snopes put that to rest, though it did put it into perspective:

From http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/icephone.asp

Contrary to several chain e-mail warnings, ICE is not something that Paramedics will rush to look for the instant they arrive at an emergency, and is certainly not required in order for LAFD Paramedics to provide quick, focused and compassionate emergency care.

We tell people: Add ICE to your cell phone only after you've affixed similar information to (or near) the official photo identification you routinely carry in your wallet.

Why?

With so many types and brands of wireless phones, it can take precious minutes to learn how to access a phone's directory. Many wireless devices are also found to be locked, damaged or have discharged batteries following an incident, rendering ICE unusable.

Please do encourage your interested friends and colleagues to make an ICE entry in their cell phone, especially if it will give them peace of mind- but not at the expense of written emergency contact and medical information.

(On a different note, it's pretty strange that snopes prevents c&p of text...

[Deozaan]

Don't most people have people in their contact list like "Mom" "Dad" "Wife", etc?

Kind of makes "ICE" redundant.

[wraith808]

Don't most people have people in their contact list like "Mom" "Dad" "Wife", etc?

Kind of makes "ICE" redundant.

I don't have my wife in as 'wife', and she'd be my emergency contact.  I'd think that most married people would be the same.  And there's always the case where you don't *want* your mom or dad called (my mom is elderly and miles away... I'd not want her disturbed if something happened to me).

[Stoic Joker]

Don't most people have people in their contact list like "Mom" "Dad" "Wife", etc?

Kind of makes "ICE" redundant.

I don't have my wife in as 'wife', and she'd be my emergency contact.  I'd think that most married people would be the same.  And there's always the case where you don't *want* your mom or dad called (my mom is elderly and miles away... I'd not want her disturbed if something happened to me).

My folks are local, but I'd have to second that one myself.