Elder Care Cafe

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The phrase in case of emergency always throws a little angst into my life whenever I fill out forms for my father or myself, hoping that it is a long time before the contact number is used.

Yesterday, I was reminded of the importance of having an emergency contact number in a most surprising way.

I started reading the legal thriller A Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart.  In the third chapter, a homicide detective joined his partner and others because a body had been found in an alley.

 Because they were still waiting for forensics, they could not touch or move the body, but Sergeant Inspector Darrel Bracco who was heading the case reached into the pocket of the dead man and carefully pulled out a cell phone.

As Bracco stood up and started to open it, his partner said, “Ice?”

The patrolman standing near by repeated the question and the partner said, “In case of emergency.” She explained that people are encouraged to put ICE in their cell phones.

Indeed, the man had ICE in his cell phone and the next of kin was immediately notified.

It is the real deal

I thought, “Well how cool is that.” Still thinking that the author was pretty smart to come up with something like that, I walked over to my computer and did a quick search. Low and behold, the top five or six searches revealed that there is a fairly recent movement afloat encouraging everyone to place their emergency contacts in their cell phones.

Actually, that makes perfect sense. If something should happen to any of us who carry cell phones, how would anyone who did not know us find out whom to contact?

The ICE program was conceived in 2005 in England and promoted by British paramedic Bob Brotchie beginning in May of that year. People were encouraged to enter their emergency contacts in the address portion of the cell phone under the name ICE. If they have more than one contact they would enter ICE1, ICE2, ICE3, and so forth.

The program has become so popular it has spread across Europe, Australia, and now into North America.

Why ICE is important

The program is especially useful for first responders such as paramedics, fire fighters, and police officers when they need to identify a body and notify the next of kin, exactly as Lescroart had indicated in his novel.

Mr. Brotchie is so adamant about the program he is encouraging mobile phone manufacturers to include an ICE listing in all new phones to remind people to place their contact number in that location.

I was so impressed I immediately placed my top three contacts in my cell phone, and called a family member to tell her about the program. Because she travels quite a bit, I thought it was important that she have her emergency contact people listed. I also sent an email to other family members this morning.

How many of us go out for a walk, go to the local mall, or travel on vacation or on an a business trip with no way for first responders to know who to contact in case something happens to us?

I think it is very important that everyone have at least one contact number listed in his or her cell phone under ICE. I hope that it will never have to be used, but at least it is there in case of an emergency.

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