When I bought my new car, it came with chrome trim and accessories. I later learned it was “iced-out.” But ICE on a cell phone doesn’t mean it has pretty little rhinestones and a fancy carrying case.
Our Army-son has attended several different training schools this year. Last week, he came home from one such training day and said he entered my cell phone number in his cell phone as his ICE number. Savvy phone users probably know what ICE is about, but I had to ask questions.
ICE is an acronym for “In Case of Emergency”, and emergency personnel are trying to get cell phone users to store ICE in their phones, making it easier for them to contact the closest kin.
This idea first came about in Britain from a paramedic by the name of Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for the East Anglican Ambulance NHS Trust. Brotchie claims he found that most people don’t carry emergency information; however, they do have a cell phone.
If someone is unconscious or in shock, emergency personnel have to fumble around in purses or wallets looking for information that usually isn’t there. And when it comes to the cell phone, there are cases when dialing mom or dad in the address book isn’t such a good idea due to ill health or age.
By creating “ICE-Dad” or “ICE-Joe” they have an immediate person to contact that you have designated to handle such an emergency.
My husband, Don, is stored in my cell phone simply as Don. Not much help to someone who doesn’t know who Don is. I now have ICE-Don. You can even designate ICE-1, 2, or 3 to different people.
The idea of an ICE number has been around for years, but the promotion really kicked up in the wake of the 2005 terrorist attacks in London. Since then, phone companies are being urged to build an ICE contact as a standard feature.
It wasn’t long after the news of ICE was out that problems started, such as email hoaxes warning that adding ICE would trigger premium charges, malicious text messages, or viruses randomly sent to phones to scan for such entries. However, these warnings are hoaxes; no such danger exists, and in some cases, the email itself is a virus.
Also, with so many types and brands of wireless phones, it takes time to access a phone’s directory, and sometimes, cell phones are locked or damaged after an accident, rendering them useless.
So encourage your friends and relatives to make an ICE entry in their cell phones address book, but only after they have similar information in their wallet or purse.