Ice

[ALange]

Or in other words, In Case of Emergency. Most of you have a cellphone. Do yourself a favor and put an address in there called ICE and put a trusted phone number of a person you would want called if you were found unconscious or unable to communicate. Paramedics know all about ICE and look for it in cellphones when they respond to an accident or call. Let the trusted person whose number you have placed in there know you used them as a trusted agent to assist you in your time of need. Give them a list of medications and or medical conditions or instructions you would want known. Tell your elderly parents (or kids) of this and have them do it. Also first responders know to look in the refrigerator for a container labeled ICE as this is a common practice among the elderly who live alone. The refrigerator is the universal place to keep the trusted number and paramedics need not search the house for next of kin or trusted agent. Spread the word, it could save a life.

[pennzoil29]

 

That's a good idea.

[Roofer]

Type ICE into google and see what comes up.

[bigredmariner]

Thanks Art.

[mr_bots]

That's one of the things I like about my phone. It has ICE already there at the top of the contacts list and allows three numbers to be put there as well as a tab for personal info.

[Outbacker]

That is a great idea, thanks.

[brims]

That's one of the things I like about my phone. It has ICE already there at the top of the contacts list and allows three numbers to be put there as well as a tab for personal info.

 

The newer Verizon phones are like that, the older ones don't have that. My T-Mobile work phone doesn't have anything like that. Not sure about phones from other companies.

[svensk]

I thought this thread was about Illegal aliens at first.

[2005LT]

Thanks for the heads-up Art, never knew about that system.

 

I've been meaning to comment on your sig svensk. Looks like its right out of a movie, dust effects, shadowing and all!

[cfeiring]

Hey a few facts from a 30 yr veteran paramedic / firefighter

 

In the house we will look on the refrigerator and or in the refrigerator for one of several things.

This will depend on the locality as there are several products and programs that are on the market.

First there is something called the vial of life that is kept in the refrigerator on the top shelf in the front , we will also look for meds that are kept there as well ( commonly insulin)

There are is another popular product out there that is called the file of life that is on the out side and is magnetic

Often times these items and others like it are not filled out/not updated and of no use in that form.

There are others out there as well that if filled out/kept updated they work well

 

A Simple TYPED ID card / piece of paper that contains the following data is the most helpful and is low tech and cheap, kept in your wallet and will be found either in the ER or by EMS if we have the time to look

 

Name

Home physical address (complete) NOT mailing - we will try and send police to find family to notify of event and results

Complete Phone (Incl the area code - you may not be near home)

DOB

SSN - is helpful but not required in true emergency

 

List of Health problems

 

List of medications and dosage

 

Allergies to food, meds, any other substances that you may be allergic to (we do not want to make you sick)

Your Primary Care Doctor info and Phone number the hospital will try and call this MD to get important medical info about you

 

REMEMBER all the above should be TYPED using a plain font (bigger is better 12pt-14pt or bigger)- handwritten notes can be hard to read

usually this will fit easily on a sheet of paper or less and can be easily done on a computer so that it is easily updated and reprinted as needed

 

The above works like a champ and can be lifesaving data and is very inexpensive to have done / to do.

 

Medications that are kept in a daily/weekly/monthly dose minder do us no good as well. There are very few meds that I can look at tell what they are.

a list of meds and doses are very helpful and or a collection of the medication bottles that is easily located

 

 

There are the old std medic alert tags

 

I never look in a persons cell phone for several reasons:

time - all phones work differently - takes time to figure it out to get what you want

If a person is truly having a lifethreating event I do not have the time to do this

It is not a reliable source of contact - they do not answer the phone-what ever, lost time for nothing gained

It is a hippa violation to provide info to non health care provider that is not involved in your direct care - (against the law to tell anybody else about someones health status- big time jail and fine)

It could not be with you and or not working or can not figure out how to turn on a phone - therefore not usable (in car crash the phones get broken, get lost, thrown from car or burried in the car under belongings (will not search car for belongings only people if the patient is unresponsive)

 

I will bring the persons phone and other belongings with them to the hospital if the items are easily obtained,carried and in plain sight

The phone will be looked at by the er staff to try and find contacts and to try and get data

Just understand that EMS crew may not look in your phone due to time constraints and lack of persons to do that vs taking care of your emergent health needs.

 

The more information you can make easily noted/found by ems/police/fire the better your results will be, for us to know who you are and what could be possibly wrong to cause the emergency.

 

I hope this helps folks.

Please contact your local Fire/EMS/Police They will often have something that will do the above and or they may have a local program that they are implementing and will help you achive the goal of getting info to us quickly and easily.