Help out in a crisis - with ICE
A Cambridge-based paramedic has launched a national campaign
with Vodafone to encourage people to store emergency contact
details in their mobile phones.
Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for the East Anglian
Ambulance NHS Trust, hatched the plan last year after struggling
to get contact details from shocked or injured patients.
Brotchie, is a clinical team leader for
the ambulance company. He began the ICE concept in April,
but it gained momentum after the bombings in London on 7/7.
The East Anglian Ambulance service received hundreds of inquiries
within the first few days of launching the concept from around
the world.
By entering the acronym ICE – for In Case of Emergency
– into the mobile’s phone book, users can log the
name and number of someone who should be contacted in an emergency.
The idea follows research carried out by Vodafone that shows
more than 75 per cent of people carry no details of who they
would like telephoned following a serious accident.
Bob, 41, who has been a paramedic for 13 years, said: “I
was reflecting on some of the calls I’ve attended at
the roadside where I had to look through the mobile phone
contacts struggling for information on a shocked or injured
person.
“It’s difficult to know who to call. Someone might
have “mum” in their phone book but that doesn’t
mean they’d want them contacted in an emergency.
“Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with
ICE we’d know immediately who to contact and what number
to ring. The person may even know of their medical history.”
The campaign was launched this week by Bob and Falklands
war hero Simon Weston in association with Vodafone’s
annual Life Savers Awards.
Vodafone spokesperson Ally Stevens said: “The Life Savers
Awards already demonstrate, through practical example, the
important role a mobile phone can play when minutes matter
in an emergency.
“By adopting the ICE advice, your mobile will now also
help the rescue services quickly contact a friend or relative
– which could be vital in a life or death situation.”
The campaign is also asking people to think carefully about
who will be their ICE partner - with helpful advice on who
to choose - particularly if that person has to give consent
for emergency medical treatment.
Bob hopes that all emergency services will promote ICE in
their area as part of a national awareness campaign to highlight
the importance of carrying next of kin details at all times.
He said the idea was for the benefit of loved ones as well
as the patient.
“Research suggests people recover quicker from the psychological
effects of their loved one being hurt if they are involved
at an earlier stage and they can reach them quickly,"
he added.
He said he hoped mobile phone companies would now build the
ICE contact into future models, adding: "It's not a difficult
thing to do. As many people say they carry mobile phones in
case of an emergency, it seems natural this information should
be kept there."
Nominations for the Life Savers Awards can be made by contacting
the awards hotline on 0870 902 3333 or visiting www.vodafone.co.uk/lifesavers
Released: 20 April 2005
Link
to ICE website
Link
to East Anglian Ambulance website
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