This one is truly for all the emergency responders out there — and I know that my comments are not going to be readily accepted:

Okay, here’s the deal… this ICE thing is starting to drive me nuts. The media has caught hold of a program — which you’ve all probably heard of — that is being done in ENGLAND. They seem to think it is all the rage for here in the States, as well.

Okay, so in a nutshell… people are encouraged to enter their emergency contact person in their phone under the heading ICE (In Case of Emergency). When a person is incapacitated, unconscious, etc. the emergency responder (!) is able to retrieve the emergency contact number and let them know there is a problem.

Everybody’s excited now, right?!
Have you thought it through?

What is our first priority when treating an accident victim or victim of serious illness? Patient care, right? We are to provide them with life-saving measures in order to get them to the hospital where they can be cared for by persons more qualified (?) than us.

How many of you want to be rummaging through a person’s belongings (any liability concerns here?) to find a cell phone that may or may not exist? How many of you want to take the time to get this information when you should be doing patient care? How many of you want to try to figure out the workings of phones that look and operate nothing like you’ve ever used? How many of you want to figure out the locking code or key sequence so that you can retrieve the contact list in this phone? Are you following me?

There are so many issues that would break down this system that I don’t even know where to stop. And, I’ve gotta tell ya’: From a safety educator’s viewpoint, this is a nightmare. I have answered so many emails asking if “your people are trained in this procedure?” or “how should I list the number?” or “why did my family members listing disappear when I put the ICE number in (okay, so now I get to answer tech-questions, too?).

“Clark L. Staten, a senior analyst for the Emergency Response and Research Institute, a Chicago-based consultancy and think tank for the emergency services and military, said he thinks it sounds like a good idea, but could have a couple of pitfalls.

“There may be some privacy concerns: firstly, that the next of kin or the address or phone number could be accessed by someone other than a member of the emergency service,” he said. “Secondarily, the information could become out of date, and the designated next-of-kin number is disconnected or you change your next of kin altogether. The worst — you don’t want them to call the ex.”
Source: Washington Post

I’m going out on a limb here. If people want to put their ICE in their phone (I’ll take mine with a lime, please), then let’s let the hospitals retrieve it after we drop them off. Or, if the person is deceased and we have no one with whom to communicate… isn’t it up to the PD to notify next of kin?

Hmm… do you want this extra responsibility/liability added to your growing list of duties?

Just my dollar’s worth, I suppose.

Here are some views from the fire/EMS service as published at Firehouse.com: http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=17&id=43795