Henry County Sheriff's Office Endorses ICE
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Henry County Sheriff's Office
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(19 July 2005) A unique
concept is coming out of the UK in response to the recent London
Bombings:
|
"In
Case of Emergency" Campaign Kicks Off
In the U.K., the East Anglican Ambulance Service has launched the
national "In Case of Emercgency" (ICE) Campaign. Wireless
subscribers are asked to store the word "ICE" in their wireless phone
address books and put their next-of-kin's phone number next to
it. In the event of an emergency, this person could be contacted
quickly by ambulance and hospital staff. (Source: BBC News) |
The Henry County Sheriff's Office recognizes the need to quickly notify
next-of-kin (or another designated person) in case of
emergencies. This can allow for the application of needed medical
help in a timely manner and can be used to identify persons who are
injured, unconscious, or severely disoriented. The usefulness of
ICE could be invaluable, not only in terrorist attacks, but also in
day-to-day emergencies such as traffic accidents, medical emergencies
(heart attack, stroke, etc.), and weather
emergencies.
The beauty of this program is
its simplicity. It costs nothing to use, there is no registration
process (and therefore no privacy concerns), the contact information
can be updated by the user at their convenience, and it is totally
voluntary. Users can set up multiple entries for each contact
such as home phone, mobile phone, etc. simply by naming them "ICE1",
"ICE2", etc.
Taking it one step further, putting a space ahead of the
word "ICE" will, in most directories, place that entry at the top
of the list in the directory. This could prevent potential time
wasted by emergency personnel scrolling through a list or trying to
figure out how to use it on a particular phone.
In recognition of this simple, yet powerful concept, Sheriff Cady is
asking that everyone consider adding an ICE directory entry into not
only their cell phones, but also the Speed Dials of home phones, as no
one can predict where an emergency will take place. Sheriff Cady
is also asking that all public safety officials embrace and endorse
this concept, so that no matter where we travel, our emergency contact
information is simply a "button-push" away.