ICE saves lives during tragedy Published Nov. 17, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. James Fountain 17th Training Wing Safety GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- In 2005, a paramedic in England came up with an idea to help people and emergency personnel when an unexpected tragedy strikes. The idea was to have an In Case of Emergency entry in your cell phone or on your person, labeled as ICE. A single or multiple ICE entries, in order of precedence (ICE 1, ICE 2), can be listed in a cell phone if more than one person should be contacted. Public service personnel know about ICE and can use it to easily determine who a person is. It also puts emergency personnel in contact with someone who has information on the person's allergies, medical history and other information that can be vitally important. Having ICE entries in a phone does not incur additional charges. Even while locked, some phones have settings which allow the entries to be seen. There are too many new phone types to list, but the owner's manual or the store where the device was bought can help with this setting. In addition to putting an ICE entry in a cell phone, people should consider having ICE information written down and placed in their wallet or purse. This could be effective in the event the cell phone was broken or if the responder can't operate it.
