In Case of Emergency Program

To its owner, the cell phone can be an indispensable lifeline in times of a crisis, re-uniting loved ones separated by unforeseen events at the touch of a button. But for members of Emergency Services making life-and-death decisions, the cell phone can pose a conundrum.

Which of the numbers stored in its electronic address book should they call to reach a casualty's next of kin?

Paramedics, police, and firefighters often waste valuable time trying to figure out which name in a cell phone to call when disaster strikes. Many people identify their spouse by name in their cell, making them indistinguishable from other entries. Also, sometimes dialing the number for 'Mom' or 'Dad' might not be appropriate, particularly if they are elderly, or suffer from ill health, etc. By utilizing the "ICE" initiative, precious time would be saved by allowing Rescue Workers to reach the appropriate person in a few seconds.

That is why we are asking cell phone users to put the acronym ICE - "In Case Of Emergency" - before the names of the people they want to designate as next of kin in their cell phone address book, creating entries such as "ICE - Dad" or "ICE – Alison". Also, you can use a numerical designator, such as "ICE - 2 Matt", or "ICE - 3 Chris", etc. to depict an order of those who should be called.

Back to top