Cell Phone Emergency Contact

Safety Tip

'ICE' cell phone plan would help rescuers

To its owner, the cell phone is an indispensable lifeline at times of crisis, reuniting loved ones separated by unforeseen events at the touch of a button. But for members of the emergency services making life-and-death decisions, the cell poses a conundrum: Which of the numbers stored in its electronic address book should they call to reach a casualty's next of kin? Now a simple initiative, conceived by a paramedic in Britain, has gained momentum on both sides of the Atlantic to try to solve this problem. Cell users are being urged to put the acronym ICE -- "in case of emergency" -- before the names of the people they want to designate as next of kin in their cell address book, creating entries such as ".ICE -- Dad" or ".ICE -- Alison. A dot "." placed before "ICE" will ensure that the entry appears at the top of the address book for quicker retrieval by emergency personnel.

At least two police forces in the United States are considering the idea, according to the initiative's British-based promoters, who say there has been a flurry of interest since the recent bombings in London. (Washington Post 07/19/05)

The State College Police Department considers this a good safety tip and encourages cell phone users to do the same.