Re or Fwd: In Case Of Emergency (ICE) Email Doing the Rounds

You may have received this email with the following text forwarded by friends and colleagues:

” Message from NSW Ambulance Service.

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than if we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this  “ICE” (In Case of  Emergency) Campaign.The concept of “ICE” is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency  situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name “ICE” (InCase Of Emergency).  The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn’t know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number you have stored as “ICE”.

Please forward this. It won’t take too many “forwards” before everybody  will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one’s mind at rest. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.”    

Unarguably this is an excellent initiative, but here is the official comment from the Ambulance Service of NSW http://www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/community_info/ that is worth noting:

“Enquiries regarding ICE

The Ambulance Service has not launched any campaign supporting ICE (In Case of Emergency). Ambulance supports any method of contacting family in a critical medical emergency. Methods that can be used include information in diaries, wallets, drivers’ licences, and mobile phones. The concept of ICE has merit and would be another source of information to assist with identification.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE: in cases involving more than one patient or a where a mobile phone has been borrowed from someone else, it may be difficult to confidently match personal belongings to any one individual. This may in turn lead to unnecessary distress. The Ambulance Service also advises that as with all stored personal information, individuals need to be mindful of confidentiality issues.”