I.C.E - In Case of Emergency
Do you know the term I.C.E or what it represents? No I'm not talking about the freezing cold slippy stuff that appears in the winter. I'm talking about the term that stands for In Case of Emergency. The term was coined in the 2000's to represent your emergency contact in case of any emergency. The idea is that you put a phone number of your emergency contact in your mobile phone under the name ICE. This enables any first responders, paramedics and emergency services etc to contact your chosen next of kin in an emergency.

Recent studies have shown that fewer than 25% of people carry any form of details about who they would like to be contacted following a serious accident. When something bad happens, time can be extremely crucial and by including a contact under ICE in your phone, it enables your next of kin to be contacted asap. This can also be used to find out any details of any existing medical condition that you may have that might be extremely important for the emergency services to know about when treating you.

The I.C.E idea is very simple but unfortunately only tends to get media coverage following a disaster. Events such as terrorist activities and natural disasters often highlight to the world that we aren't invincible and it can be in these times was ICE gets the most coverage urging everyone to include a contact in their mobile phone "just in case".

Other ways to identify and inform the emergency services of any medical conditions is by wearing medical id jewellery. There is a wide range of jewellery available now that can be engraved with your personal details and your medical condition which could save your life.

The I.C.E idea is very simple and makes a lot of sense. I urge you to include an ICE contact in your mobile phone now. After all it could save your life.