ICE (In Case of Emergency)

To help you in an emergency you should identify several important personal numbers (eg family, close friends, neighbours) as ICE numbers on your mobile phone, or leave them by your phone at home. This will enable the Emergency Services quickly to find the best person to contact if you are injured, ill or incapacitated, as they are readily accessible. If your phone is password protected you can put a sticker on your phone listing your ICE numbers, or install an App to allow someone to access your emergency contacts even when your phone is locked. You can identify or prioritise several ICE numbers by entering them as “ICE-person’s name” or as “ICE-1”, “ICE-2”, “ICE-3” etc. You can also keep your ICE numbers in your wallet or purse.

Message in a Bottle

To help you in a medical emergency at home, you should list key personal and medical information about yourself and your family (eg medical conditions, allergies, medications) and place them in a small plastic bottle marked with a green cross on the top right hand corner of the shelf in your fridge door. By putting a small green cross sticker on the inside of your house door, the Emergency Services will know that you have a Message in a Bottle in your fridge and can immediately obtain potentially life saving medical information about the patient, especially if they are upset, confused or unconscious. The Message in a Bottle scheme was pioneered by Lions Clubs International (http://lionsclubs.co/Public/lions-message-in-a-bottle/) , and Bottles can be obtained free of charge, including from Doctor’s Surgeries, Pharmacies as well as the local Lions.