ADVERTISEMENT
Safety Officials Debate Roaring ICE Campaign
Public safety agencies across the country are talking about an international campaign to enter emergency contact information into cell phones under the listing ICE, for "In Case of Emergency." While many agencies support it, others warn of the concept's limitations and potential drawbacks.
The idea was developed by the East Anglian Ambulance Trust in the England, where it surged in popularity after the recent London bombings and gained international recognition.
In a press release this week, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that since mid July, the department has received thousands of e-mail inquiries about ICE.
Proponents say the contact information could give rescue and medical workers fast access to valuable patient information such as allergies and medications, or help them get faster consent for certain procedures.
The LAFD's advice, however, is to add ICE to your cell phone only after you've affixed similar information to (or near) an official photo identification in your wallet.
One of the organizations promoting the ICE concept is the Emergency Medical Services Authority of Oklahoma, in conjunction with the 9-1-1 Association of Central Oklahoma Governments.
"If we're in a situation where we have time to get extra information, and it would benefit us, then we can turn to that as another piece of the puzzle," said EMSA spokeswoman Tina Wells.
Wells said her agency heard about ICE through numerous chain e-mails, and contacted the East Anglian Ambulance Trust to get the official story.
"We thought, we need to do this, this is a good thing," Wells said.
"Obviously, if we have someone in cardiac arrest we're not going to stop chest compressions so we can pick up the phone and make a phone call," she said. "But if we've got a patient maybe who's been knocked unconscious, and is medically stable, we can turn to the cell phone to find out if they have any conditions that could have led to this episode, or whether they are taking any medications. If we've got a patient with a blood sugar issue, or a child, or someone who is hearing impaired, it's just another tool to help us provide patient care."
EMSA and ACOG had a public roll-out for the ICE campaign in Tulsa and Oklahoma City last Thursday, for which they also partnered with the Tulsa Fire Department and the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency.
They also posted ICE tips online, such as how to choose an ICE partner and what type of information to share with that contact person. The agencies also provide downloadable contact cards for ICE partners, and stickers to indicate that a cell phone has an ICE listing.
Wells said the response from the public has been huge.
"We had hundreds of people send in letters saying 'thanks' and 'great idea,'" she said. "It's free and it's easy, so why not?"
Other agencies agree that ICE won't hurt, but they aren't convinced it will help.
"I think the concept is kind of neat, but I don't know that it's as simple as carrying a laminated card on you," said Division Chief Jim Sideras of Sioux Falls Fire Rescue.
He points out that many people lock their keypad or use PINS so that others can't use their phones.
Another obstacle is that the phone needs to stay with the person. "Let's say you and I are in a car or a bus and it gets hit," Sideras said. "Well whose phone is whose? If I take it out of your purse I know it's yours, but if it's just floating around loose, we don't know whose phone that is."
An even bigger issue, Sideras said, is knowing how to use all those phones, Palm Pilots, Blackberries and other devices.
"We hope you would just carry an ID card," he said. "That would tell us right away who you are, and who to call."
He also noted that usually, in the U.S., people who don't carry ID don't carry cell phones either, such as the homeless or young children. The idea makes more sense in the UK, he said, because more people there take public transportation, rather than drive cars, and are therefore less likely to carry ID.
Sideras said the biggest benefit of the ICE campaign is that the publicity can also be used to remind people of other, even simpler safety precautions.
"If you look at the big scheme of things, the cooler thing would be if we could make sure everyone has their house number up, let alone worrying about cell phones and ICE," he said.
Related:
