In Case of Emergency

[banjo]

I don't know if this is common knowledge or not but I thought I would share. It was recently brought to my attention that I should have emergency contacts in my cell phone. Kind of a no-brainer I know. Everybody important is already in my phone but if I was out cold nobody would know who to call. So, what I've done is save all of my important contacts so they appear first when someone looks at my phone. For example the first number in my phone now reads
1.I.C.E. Dad .......
I've added about four people all numbered so they appear first. I also make sure to tell everybody where my phone is and that the first four contacts are for emergency.

 

[fhfr436]

Actually, the preferred formate is ICE1 Dad, ICE2 Mom etc. so that they are listed under "I", but being at the top of the alphabetical phone book might work too, but following the already-established convention is more reliable.

 

[banjo]

OK, I'll do both, I think that would be most effective. Thanks for the reply. I didn't know the proper format.

 

[fhfr436]

<u>ICE - In Case of Emergency</u>

<u>Reason 1</u> (important): Emergency care providers can obtain medical history, allergies and explicit consent for treatment. However, if you were unresponsive, any emergency care provider would operate under the concept of implied consent for treatment.

<u>Reason 2</u> (nice, but non-essential): Lets loved ones know what's going on.

For many years I have been wearing a single dog tag (with silencer) on a neck chain that has my name, emergency contact info and "NO ALLERGIES". Borne of my days of (more frequent) bicycle racing, where I carry no other ID, I refer to it as my "Road Kill" tag. My wife does not appreciate my humor.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Some more discussion about ICE:

http://tinyurl.com/2jdqg

Another dog tag option is to thread it onto your boot laces by the toe. I understand this was started by infantry soldiers in Viet Nam, maybe before.

 

[inztrees]

mine says awifejess that is so it stays at the top of the list and I tell the guys thats the one to call

 

[SCOTTYNC]

We carry cards in the trucks with everybody's #'s, allergies and blood type. You just never know, better safe than sorry.
Scotty

 

[RescueRat]

[ QUOTE ]
mine says awifejess that is so it stays at the top of the list and I tell the guys thats the one to call

[/ QUOTE ]

While that's helpful for your co-workers, most emergency workers won't find it. Remember, using ICE isn't just for "at work" emergencies. An accident can happen anywhere at anytime.

Emergency responders are going to quickly look for the "ICE" label. Using another naming convention will delay notification as we won't have the time to look through your cell phone for clever names.

As recommended in earlier posts, it's best to stick with the standard.

 

[fhfr436]

[ QUOTE ]
Emergency responders are going to quickly look for the "ICE" label. Using another naming convention will delay notification as we won't have the time to look through your cell phone for clever names.

As recommended in earlier posts, it's best to stick with the standard.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the root of the issue. True emergency incidents, such as an unresponsive patient, will unlikely have many or any spare responders, available just to scroll through your phone and try several likely numbers. There should be ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 as a minimum. Beyond that and they're probably just not going to do it. The last line on my dog tag only says xxx-xxx-xxxx WIFE. That's all they need. A more ICE-type dog tag is the one I made for each of my kids:
NAME
xxx-xxx-xxxx DAD
xxx-xxx-xxxx MOM
xxx-xxx-xxxx HOME
NO ALLERGIES
(Actually, there are no hyphens in any of those because there's a 15-character line limit, but without them you might not recognize them as telephone numbers if I just put xxxxxxxxxx

)

 

[fhfr436]

[ QUOTE ]
We carry cards in the trucks with everybody's #'s, allergies and blood type.

[/ QUOTE ]

This should be a requirement of ANY employer. It's just as important if someone has a heart attack or stroke in an office environment. The company's SOP for an injured worker should include grabbing the emergency info card from the truck. It should then go to the hospital with the EMS crew.

Regardless, it is a great thing to do, whether or not you do the ICE or even carry your phone. In our area, the standard at old folks homes is to store their medication list (usually quite extensive) in the freezer. I have no idea why they do this, but it always works!