ICE on Mobile Phones Speeds Rescue in Broward Coun

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ICE on Mobile Phones Speeds Rescue in Broward County, Florida

Updated: 08-17-2005 03:13:37 PM

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WANDA J. DeMARZO

Miami Herald via Associated Press

When Broward County paramedics reached the mangled car that had smashed into a tree and came to rest on the side of the roadway, they immediately started working on the young woman trapped inside, bleeding profusely from head injuries.

Since the woman was incoherent and carried no identification, rescue workers worried worried about her medical background. Does she suffer from seizures? Is she a hemophiliac? Does she have any allergies to certain medications?

There's an easy solution for this type of situation, paramedics say. They want every person to have personal information stored in their cellphone, which would serve as a high-tech medical alert tool.

The process even has a name -- ICE, an acronym for In Case of Emergency -- and it's already being used in Europe and is now being pushed in different areas around the United States.

''Without emergency contact information, medical personnel are behind the 8-Ball when trying to treat someone,'' said Captain Ken Kronheim, of the Broward Sheriff's Office

On Friday, BSO's Fire Rescue officially will launch ICE at a press conference, with help from two emergency rescue workers from the United Kingdom -- where the year-old campaign was developed.

'If a paramedic needed to contact someone, it was just a case of going through 'obvious' numbers like Mum, Dad, etcetera -- but they may not be the person you'd want contacted,'' said Matt Ware, head of communications for the East Anglian Ambulance Service in eastern England.

He and British paramedic Bob Brotchie will be in Broward Friday for the ICE rollout.

The British paramedics used a survey conducted in the country last year that showed 75 percent of the people interviewed didn't have emergency contact information on them. But more than 85 percent carried a cellphone.

The concept has gained momentum since the London terrorist bombings last month after emergency workers had difficulty identifying victims and notifying next of kin.

Soon Internet messages about the ICE program were popping up around the globe.

''It seems like a simple fix for a problem I've run into hundreds of times during my career,'' said BSO Fire Rescue Captain Dave Erdman. ''I can't tell you how many seizure, overdose, diabetic, stroke and trauma patients I've treated over the years who were unable to communicate..''

Miami police agree contact information on phones is helpful for hospital personnel and law enforcement.

''We do look at people's phone numbers when there is an emergency, and it can be especially useful when an officer is working a serious injury where next of kin needs to be contacted,'' said Miami police spokeswoman Herminia Salas-Jacobson. ''It's one more tool for hospital and fire-rescue personnel and law enforcement officers.''

Over the last several weeks, fire departments and police agencies across the country, like Chicago, San Francisco, Lexington and Oklahoma City, have issued information about ICE.

Suburban Chicago police agencies and fire departments are planning a promotion this year in local schools, targeting the younger generation who have cellphones, but do not generally carry contact information.

The idea is just starting to take hold in South Florida.

'When I heard about it in an e-mail I said to myself 'Wow! What a great idea,' '' said Samantha Buchholz, 19, of Coral Springs. ''I'm putting my contact numbers in my cellphone.''

Local fire and police departments are sending out internal bulletins alerting their personnel about ICE.

''We put a memo out Aug. 2 alerting everyone and asking that they get the word out and start checking cellphones,'' said Stephen McInerny, assistant chief of operations for Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.

''This new tool will prove very valuable because we've run across medical emergencies where someone is lying on the side of the street having a seizure and we don't have any information. If that person had several emergency numbers in their phone under ICE, that would enable us to provide a better level of customer and emergency medical care.''

While plugging emergency numbers under one name in a cellphone is not a foolproof plan, it will help those who deal with victims, rescue workers say.

''We hope to accomplish removing the detective work from our duties,'' Erdman said. ''If someone had ICE programmed in their phones, we wouldn't have to play medical detective when someone was unconscious or unable to speak to us.''

Distributed by the Associated Press

[SHFD781 0]

Our department thinks this a good idea and we are going to try to promote this at some of out local PR events coming up in September. I found more information for any department that is interested in starting this in their comunity. The first one is from a private ambulance company in Tulsa OK, then next is from East Anglian Ambulance in England where it all started, and the third is just general info.

http://www.emsaonline.com/iceadvice.html

http://www.eastanglianambulance.com/content/ice/default.asp

http://www.icecontact.com/

Edited August 19, 2005 by SHFD781

[PC414 0]

Am I the only one hoping that ICE melts and just goes away? The stories are misleading. "ICE on Mobile Phones Speeds Rescue in Broward County, Florida." Um ... no, it didn't - at least not from what I read following the headline ... the writer is hoping it COULD.

"'It seems like a simple fix for a problem I've run into hundreds of times during my career,'' said BSO Fire Rescue Captain Dave Erdman. 'I can't tell you how many seizure, overdose, diabetic, stroke and trauma patients I've treated over the years who were unable to communicate..'"

But you DID treat them ... probably very successfully where the protocols were GONNA' make a difference ... without ICE. If I'm ever in an accident within his jurisdiction, I honestly hope Captain Dave and his crew will evaluate and treat me based on their training, assessment

and protocol and phone calls be damned (oooh ... can I say that?). Assess, treat/transport. Get me to the next level of care ASAP.

Who calls while the "golden hour" ticks away? IC? The safety officer? Please, God, NOT the medic when I need immediate intervention and help. Treat me. TREAT Me. TREAT ME (based on your training, assessment and local protocol). Is someone home to answer the phone? Do they actually KNOW my current medical problems? Is it up to medic to notify of serious accident/injury or illness? Used to be the cops' job - at least where I work.

"'We do look at people's phone numbers when there is an emergency, and it can be especially useful when an officer is working a serious injury where next of kin needs to be contacted,' said Miami police spokeswoman Herminia Salas-Jacobson."

I will give ya' this one! Makes notifying family and/or next of kin easier (maybe) - although, somehow, it's been done for a LONG time without ICE. The time to call - in my opinion - isn't for medical information in the field (ASSESS/TREAT/TRANSPORT!!) but once I'm safely in the ER (or, God forbid, the hospital basement 'cause all your expertise wasn't gonna' change the outcome anyway).

Chewing the fat at the station recently, none of us could come up with a call (and we have some gray-haired old guys and gals) where the outcome would have changed because of ICE.

Hoping the sun shines bright and WARM!

PC414

[Pudge3311 5]

Dont most people have mom, dad, home, stored in their cell phone? Im pretty sure that most of us do. Ever called someone and they answered by saying hello to you by name? Thats cause your name comes up on their phone when you call. So just by picking up the cell phone and calling someone is going to get you someone who might know something about his person. Maybe it takes two phone calls instead of one, but it really isnt anything new, just adding a new name to something that has already been in your phone for years.

[mfc2257 464]

I've got a feeling that the point of this might be getting off track, mostly due to a poorly written article.

This being said, I now live in the Orlando metro area (not Broward county but close enough that this program is a priority here as well) after 28 years in NY.

The point of this program isn't for Medics / FF's to get to a scene and ignore traditional EMS protocall by having phone conversations with people who may or may not be of any true help to the situation at hand. (FF's don't ignore traditional SOP's when they roll up to a commercial structure fire at 4am just because there is a after hours contact # on the sign outside the front door... But a officer can call the number and have that contact respond as well as relay critical information about the building)

The point is to add an additional resource that can be utilized.

In Florida where this plan was developed, 99% of departments are career where a Medic Engine as well as a Rescue (actually a commercial chassis ambulance) respond to most medical emergencies. This brings 5-7 FF/EMT/Medics to many EMS emergencies. Often times there are police responses as well. There are many hands to help. The chauffer of the engine, the police officer or even a bystander can be asked by the primary EMS providor to check for an ICE # and gather additional information such as previous medical history, allergies, handicaps, current medications, etc....

None of this is designed to take away from the primary level of care or protocall.

The point was raised that most people have Mom or Dad listed in the phone, but if your parents are 80yrs old and in a retirement community, how much help will they be. If you pick any name out of my phone and get my college drinking buddy in Boston, what good can he do for me in Orlando. My ICE # is my wife. She happens to be a LPN which is a bonus, but she can deliver information to a caller that can be relayed to a medic or ER doctor that can change the way they look at my diagnosis, OR make sure they aren't missing something.

At the end of the day, this isn't a bad idea. It's just another tool that if it's used properly, can improve the level of care delivered. BUT just like any other tool, it won't work if not used correctly.

Edited August 25, 2005 by mfc2257