There are millions of cell phone users in the United States. Emergency workers say adding the acronym "ICE" to your cell phone contact list could help when time is of the essence.
Just about everyone has one and for many, the cell phone is considered a lifeline, connecting people with the touch of a button, especially during times of crisis. Yet, for emergency workers, a laundry list of contacts can pose a problem: figuring out just who to call.
That's why paramedics want you to add "ICE" to your cell phone book. Paramedics, police, and firefighters often waste time trying to figure out who to call when disaster strikes. Emergency officials say adding ICE to your contacts could mean the difference between life and death.
"If you have someone you come up on that is unconscious you don't know about medical history is. It could be critical to outcome that we get that information."
ICE puts that information right at a paramedic’s fingertips and help just a phone call away.
The Florida Association of Professional Paramedics and EMTs is pushing for people to add the acronym ICE before names in their contact lists they want to designate as next of kin.
A paramedic in Britain, came up with the idea after years of trying to figure out who to call for the patients he was treating. Now, it is starting to spread by word of mouth and e-mail.
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