ICE Might Save Your Life

Vodafone and a Cambridge-based paramedic continue their campaign—its importance highlighted by recent terrorist activity in London—to encourage users to keep emergency contact numbers stored in their mobile phones.

After entering ICE, the abbreviation for “in case of emergency,” into the mobile phones phone book, users can enter who theyd want contacted in an emergency situation.

U.K.-based paramedic Bob Brotchie came up with the plan after having difficulty getting emergency contact information from injured patients.

In a statement, he said that at times hed scroll through a mobile phone book to try to find contact information, but with no way of knowing which was the correct person to call.

/zimages/1/28571.gifRead detailshereabout how cell phone owners shared photos on Flickr after the London bombings.

“Its difficult to know who to call. Someone might have Mum in their phone book but that doesnt mean theyd want them contacted in an emergency,” Brotchie said in the statement.

“Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with ICE wed know immediately who to contact and what number to ring.”

Vodafone Group PLC also found that more than 75 percent of those surveyed carry no information on whom theyd like to have contacted following an accident.

/zimages/1/28571.gifClick hereto read about VOIP classification issues raised by a recent E911 ruling.

The campaign initially launched in May, in conjunction with Vodafones annual LifeSavers Awards, a program that honors people who perform remarkable feats to save others lives.

“The Life Savers Awards already demonstrate, through practical example, the important role a mobile phone can play when minutes matter in an emergency,” Vodafone spokesperson Ally Stevens said.

“By adopting the ICE advice, your mobile will now also help the rescue services quickly contact a friend or relative—which could be vital in a life or death situation.”

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