Cut and paste from the Hilux Surf Forum- but in light of recent events this sounds like a good idea if you haven't done it already:
Help out in a crisis - with ICE
A Cambridge-based paramedic has launched a national campaign with
Vodafone to encourage people to store emergency contact details in their mobile phones.
Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for the East Anglian Ambulance NHS
Trust, hatched the plan last year after struggling to get contact details
from shocked or injured patients.
By entering the acronym ICE - for In Case of Emergency - into the
mobile's phone book, users can log the name and number of someone who should be contacted in an emergency.
The idea follows research carried out by Vodafone that shows more than
75 per cent of people carry no details of who they would like telephoned
following a serious accident.
Bob, 41, who has been a paramedic for 13 years, said: "I was reflecting
on some of the calls I've attended at the roadside where I had to look
through the mobile phone contacts struggling for information on a shocked or
injured person.
"It's difficult to know who to call. Someone might have "mum" in their
phone book but that doesn't mean they'd want them contacted in an emergency.
"Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with ICE we'd know
immediately who to contact and what number to ring. The person may even
know of their medical history."
The campaign was launched this week by Bob and Falklands war hero Simon
Weston in association with Vodafone's annual Life Savers Awards.
Vodafone spokesperson Ally Stevens said: "The Life Savers Awards already
demonstrate, through practical example, the important role a mobile
phone can play when minutes matter in an emergency.
"By adopting the ICE advice, your mobile will now also help the rescue
services quickly contact a friend or relative - which could be vital in a
life or death situation."
The campaign is also asking people to think carefully about who will be
their ICE partner - with helpful advice on who to choose - particularly
if that person has to give consent for emergency medical treatment.
Bob hopes that all emergency services will promote ICE in their area as
part of a national awareness campaign to highlight the importance of carrying
next of kin details at all times. He said the idea was for the benefit of loved ones as well as the patient.
"Research suggests people recover quicker from the psychological effects
of their loved one being hurt if they are involved at an earlier stage and
they can reach them quickly," he added.
He said he hoped mobile phone companies would now build the ICE contact
into future models, adding: "It's not a difficult thing to do. As many people
say they carry mobile phones in case of an emergency, it seems natural this
information should be kept there."
