Might Be a Life Saving Tip

Another good tip is to have an ICE (In Case of Emergency) entry on your cell phone, and list your spouses / parents cell number. That’s were first responders are going to look if you’re unable to speak, and this way, they can reach the right person, ASAP. (Plus, it avoids having your entire contact list find out from EMS you’re in a pickle)

To explain what BP Totty is saying:

Apparently this is a standard procedure all paramedics follow at the scene of an accident when they come across your cell phone.

ICE – ‘In Case of Emergency’

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

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(mobile) 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’ ( In Case 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 dialing the number you have stored as ‘ICE.’

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let’s spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today!

But if someone does dial Hatzalah by mistake, PLEASE stay on the phone long enough to tell the dispatcher that it was a mistake. Otherwise the dispatcher has to call back the number to make sure that there is no emergency.

And if the call comes in from a house phone and nobody answers, it will be dispatched.

So again, if you call hatzalah by mistake, just stay on the phone and tell the dispatcher that it was a mistake.

Thank you!

yes, as a hatzalah dispatcher myself, I agree 100%! It happenes quit a lot and is very annoying.

As someone who works/trains in medicine, and has experience in EMS, while these are good ideas, they are definitely not the most important. As far as Ice is concerned, I never had to look up phone numbers in a cell. Almost 95% of the time emergencies occur in their own home or business, where there are people who know the victim. Any notifications are usually done by them.

I’ll tell you what will make a difference to victims that can be done by bystanders. If everyone would know CPR and first aid, this can really make a difference in emergency victims lives. When you say seconds count -this cuts down on those seconds. And when I say know CPR and first aid, I don’t mean someone who took a course umpteen years ago. You must refresh (take a refresher course) every one – two years, depending on whether you have AHA or ARC certification. All other certifications follow either AHA or ARC guidelines. I hope you will never have to use them, but if need be, at least you can feel you did whatever you could to help out!