Got this in an email today, I’m sure it’s been around for a while, but it struck a nerve.
ICE
Dear friends and family, this letter was sent to me from a friend who is FDNY Paramedic. It’s a great idea. So often, we have patients flown in and we don’t know how to contact next of kin. The police and hospital chaplains work in it. Sadly, there are times that an unconscious patient is on our unit for days before we find out who they are and how to contact family or friends.
Entering ICE (In Case of Emergency) in your cell phone might help if we pass the word along and it becomes common knowledge. Please follow this suggestion, put this info
into your cell phone and pass this suggestion along to others on your mailing list. Thank you!!
Following the attacks in London, East Anglian Ambulance Service has launched a national “In Case of Emergency ( ICE ) ” campaign.
The idea is that you store the word ” ICE ” in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted “In Case of Emergency”.
In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. It’s so simple that everyone can do it.
Please will you also email this to everybody in your address book, it won’t take too many ‘forwards’ before everybody will know about this. It really could help the emergency
services in doing their job. For more than one contact name use: ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.
John
