In Case of Emergency (ICE), don’t fall for it!
Rumor: “Enter an ICE (in case of emergency) listing on your cell phone so the paramedics will have an emergency contact for you! Do it now or you will die! Run, run! Live in fear and panic! Then forward this to 400 of your closest friends because forwarded emails containing half-truths are an asset to our society!”
Oh, give me a break.
I started out as an EMT, then a Paramedic, then I went on to become an ER/Trauma nurse in the late 90’s, so I think it’s safe to say that I am allowed to have an opinion on this matter.
I do not have an “ICE” entry on my phone, nor will I. It’s just not necessary.
- It’s not the paramedics or the ER staff treating you that will contact your family; it’s the cops or the hospital social workers/chaplain/admission staff. They will look in your wallet and/or medical records for an emergency contact.
As a paramedic, I’d love how I’d be doing CPR on someone, my partner and the fire crew scrambling, and the family member would say, “Call my uncle James and tell him to meet us at the hospital!” Um, no. Kinda busy now. - Looking in a wallet is much quicker and easier than trying to figure out the phone book on infinite models of cell phones.
- You need more than one emergency contact anyway.
- Your cell phone may not be with you, or may not survive the incident that rendered you unconscious or dead. Most people always carry a wallet, and a wallet doesn’t need to be charged, and can survive a high-impact motor vehicle accident just fine.
- Important info (medical conditions, allergies) may not be easily obtained from a shocked and traumatized emergency contact, even if they are reachable. WRITE IT DOWN. Medical history, meds (including dosages), allergies. DATE it. Carry it with you in your wallet. (Medical professionals always look in your wallet — FOR AN INSURANCE CARD! Ha ha, I slay me! But it’s true.)
- If your cell phone IS with you, and survives whatever has tried to kill you, it’s pretty easy for the cops or whoever to find your last name on your drivers license, then call all the people with the same last name in your cell’s phone book. Don’t have the same last name as your family? Then put an emergency contact card in your wallet, since (are you getting the message yet?) they will look in your wallet first!
Your cell CANNOT store an easily-accessible database of your medical history, meds, or allergies. (Emergency personnel won’t have the owners manual to learn how to work your model of cell phone, even if it does have a PDA type of function, and they don’t have time to figure it out.) Contacting your family is secondary to providing lifesaving care. Having an emergency contact number is a bonus, but again, it can go in your wallet. A second easy-to-find emergency info card can go in your cars’ glove compartment. A third emergency info card can be taped to your refrigerator door at home. Medics should ALWAYS check the door of the fridge (that’s where medical info/DNR orders have been posted for decades). Because, what if you’re home alone and have to call 911, and you’re unconscious by the time they get there? Medics and cops don’t have time to be searching your entire house for prescription bottles and your stupid goddamn cellphone for the stupid goddamn ICE information.
While we’re preparing for emergencies here, how about putting some house address numbers on your house that can be seen from the street at night by some living creature other than an eagle with bionic eyes and night vision goggles?
How much do you want to bet that at least 30 percent of the people frantically entering “ICE” info on their cell have no easily visible house numbers that would allow fire/police/EMS to find their house in an emergency.
To summarize: Please, for the love of God, stop forwarding those stupid ICE emails! ICE info, if found at all, will not be looked at until AFTER looking in your wallet. There’s so many other things you can do that would better help out emergency personnel in case the unthinkable happens.
PS - Signing an organ donor card is meaningless if your family will object to the procedure. Make your wishes known to your family that you want to be an organ donor if the worst happens.
I know you want to be an organ donor because only stupid, selfish, ignorant pieces of shit would refuse to donate their organs, and people like that don’t read my blog.
I knew there was a logical reason why I hadn’t put the ICE in my cell… and here it is. Thanks!
Comment by Susan — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 7:13 am
ICE on a card
The first time I heard about putting an ICE (in case of emergency) entry in a cell phone, I thought about What if my cell gets run over by a truck? Then the silly chain letter started hitting everyones inbox and I still wasn’t convinced.
Have y…
Trackback by Lynne ydw i — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 8:29 am
Very well said.
Comment by Busy Mom — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 8:55 am
I can’t tell you how many freakin’ email forwards I’ve had to deal with about this stupid thing. What kind of idiot thinks a paramedic is going to stop attending to your injuries to call your next of kin?
Comment by mac — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 9:08 am
Mom mom (le freak) was horrified when she went with me to get my drivers license and I marked that I wanted to be a donor. She said, and I quote, “If you say you are willing to be a donor, then they won’t try so hard to save you”.
Uh yeah Mom. OK. Riiiiiiggggghhhhhhttttt.
Comment by RisibleGirl — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 9:24 am
My father received a heart transplant from a 16 year old boy. His parents were the most unselfish people for giving at the lowest point of their lives. I can never thank them enough.
Comment by Monica — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 9:29 am
You gotta be kidding me. It can say “organ donor” on my liscense and someone can override that? Unbelievable.
Comment by elsa — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 10:59 am
Risible, you can tell your mother that the person has to be brain dead or recently dead to harvest organs. No way does organ donation enter anyone’s mind until it’s too late to do anything else to help the patient. Also, why would medical staff “kill” people to harvest organs? 1) It’s a shitload of paperwork (sounds callous, but it’s true). 2) I don’t get paid extra for it! 3) The organs don’t go to anyone I’ve ever met. Why does your mom think the medical profession would basically murder one person (by “not trying” to treat them) to save another person? That is so stupid I don’t know where to begin. You poor thing, trying to reason with someone like that!
Elsa, you can sign organ donor cards all you want, but if the situation arises where you can donate organs, you are dead or soon will be. If they do not harvest your organs, you won’t be capable of suing them. However, if they DO harvest your organs and say your sister doesn’t want them to, she is alive and well and can absolutely sue them.
Moral of the story: Make sure your spouse knows your wishes. No spouse? Appoint a durable power of attorney for medical decisions that will honor your wishes, and make sure your doctor, your DPA for medical, and even your local hospital has a copy of the paperwork.
Comment by drunkenlagomorph — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 12:16 pm
Well, thank goodness somebody said it. My general rule is “If you find out about it from a forwarded letter, it’s for idiots.”
Comment by Suzette — Thursday, August 4, 2005 @ 4:47 pm
Have to recomment on this… about spewed coke out my nose today when I noticed the ICE article posted on our work intranet… makes me very nervous about our ’security’ at work!!
Comment by Susan — Friday, August 5, 2005 @ 5:10 pm
The organ doner bit is what really cheezed me off.
The fact that family members can override that directive is incomprehensoble to me.
My personal solution is to place those directives in a living will.
Also in a living will
Also, to make it clear in the will that disposes of my estate that anyone who disregards any organ doner or living will provisions is immediately disinherited and their share goes to Jerry’s kids…. his real ones.
Comment by mike — Sunday, August 7, 2005 @ 10:05 pm