it comes in pints?

Interesting idea

My little bro forwarded one of those internet memes that tend to take on a life of their own. Normally I just forward if amusing, ignore if not amusing, but this one actually has potential.

The idea is, like the idea that 911 is THE emergency number in the entire country, to program one emergency number in your cell phone under a universally recognized name, in this case, "ICE" for "In Case of Emergency". Not, perhaps, the particular acronym I would have chosen - I would have picked just "A" to be the first in the list - but still, it's a good idea if "ICE" is widely known. The number should be the one person who should be called if something happens to you; the one who knows the right people to contact among your family and friends.

Anyhoo, it's possible that it's one of those goofy fake memes but I think it's a good idea if enough people do it with the same acronym (assuming it's known by the emergency personnel) so I'm passing it along. The text of the forwarded email is below the fold. I should mention also that the little bro is a firefighter (actually, an engineer now) who is trained in standard urban firefighter emergency response, so he knows the drill in emergency situations.

"ICE" in your CELL PHONE

Reminder to store "ICE" in your cell phone

A recent article from the Toronto Star, "the ICE idea", is catching on and it is a very simple, yet important method of contact for you or a loved one in case of an emergency. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is program the number of a contact person or persons and store the name as "ICE".

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always Mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which numbers to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name to file "next of kin" under.

Following a disaster in London The 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 with it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of Emergency ". In an emergency situation, Emergency Services personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin, by simply dialing the number programmed under "ICE". Please forward this. It won't take too many "forwards" before everybody will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.

A great idea that could make a difference

Posted by Ken S at March 15, 2007 07:38 PM | TrackBack (0) |