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> In light of recent events. The Ambulance Service have launched a national "In case of Emergency ( ICE ) " campaign with the support of Falklands war hero Simon Weston and in association with Vodafone's annual life savers award. The idea is that you store the word " I C E " in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of Emergency".
> In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. It's so simple that everyone can do it. Please do. Please will you also forward this to everybody in your address book, it won't take too many 'forwards' before everybody will know about this.
> For more than one contact name ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc
This is perhaps particularly relevant to Gay people ... where the person to be contacted may well be a partner or friend who is not immediately identifiable. And for the emergency services to contact 'Mum' or 'Dad' may not be appropariate or desirable.
Lets hope we have no further bombs. but people get knocked over in the street, have car accidents, etc every day. I think it's an excellent idea. I've done it.
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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That should go global. I am about to do it to mine, too
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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There has ben a malicious hoax e-mail circulating about the ICE campaign, which falsely suggests that it may make your mobile vulnerable to viruses.
This is not the case! see
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4680803.stm
for details and reassurance.
I find it rather scary that some people are so sick as to attempt to undermine a very useful campaign like this.
And - if you're UK resident or visitor - put ICE in your phone!
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Not just the UK. This has spread to the USA, Asutralia, New Zealand and wider.
It's on mine.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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So this only works if you have a cell phone......
What is the alternate plan for those that don't?
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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well the idea is that you tend to carry your cellphone with you, and peole try to use it to get you help. But it seems to me that a wallet ICE card would make total sense for non batphone users.
The UK is the highest consumer, we think, of mibile phones in the world, so we probably started with the thing we "all" have one of.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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How does this feature get help?
Or do you mean that a passer-by uses your cell to call for an EMT?
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Here it doesnt matter who you "wish" to make emergency decisions.
The law here is quite specific in that reguard.
But...... With an atorney, Gay couples can set up a series of legal documents that side-skip the ban-on-marrige laws as well as the right of next of kin. A living will, power of atorney, prescribed and itemized last will can ensure that the wishes of the injured party can be enforced.
The key is in the pre-planning......
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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That's very true here too. And that level of planning is a really important part of long-term partnership. Hopefully, civil unions here will help.
But, until the ICE campaign, emergency services personnel used first to look through wallets etc for home addresses, and if not found would look through mobile phonebook ... usually ringing the first "relative" they found. Could be "aunt" More likely "Dad" or "Mum". There's no way they could tell if "Guiseppe" is a spouse/partner, boyfriend, or just the name of the hairdresser...
If one has made arrangements (power of attourney, marriage, civil union etc) that are NOT "next of kin", then listing them under ICE should hopefully mean that they get called, rather than anyone else. It supports the planning that you so rightly stress is essential.
In my own case I've listed my mother under ICE - although my father is technically equally close blood kin, we weren't on speaking terms for nearly 20 years, are still not at all close as he's still a bit homophobic, and he lives on the other side of the Atlantic. But - as Dad comes before Mum in the phonebook - chances are that if I didn't have an ICE contact entered, he would be rung first. So, in fact, ICE has been a good idea for me!
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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We digressed I think. The point of the ICE contact is really to make sure someone you know cares is able to know what is going on. Or at worst to identify your body.
Or have I missed the piint totally?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Here, wether or not "someone that we know that cares" is named, only a person within the bounds of legal authority can be given information reguarding incapacitating injury or illness.
So if you think that just placing a name onto a list or card will protect me here you are indeed missing the point.
That is how the real world is suposed to work... However in reality, it really depends on the health care professional you are dealing with at the time and how far he/she is willing to stick his/her neck out.
It is generally a case of "hope for the best but expect the worse"
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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timmy wrote:
> We digressed I think. The point of the ICE contact is really to make sure someone you know cares is able to know what is going on. Or at worst to identify your body.
>
> Or have I missed the piint totally?
No - you're right. And you can have several ICE contacts - as ICE1, ICE2 etc. They certainly don't *have* to be the people who are empowered to (eg) make treatment decisions on your behalf (although it's pretty essential that they should have contact details for the person that is). But it is probably helpful if they are ... if medical decisions have to be made about me while I'm unconscious, I'd like them made as quickly as possible. But equally, I'd guess it is helpful if one or more ICE contacts are people who are usually easy to get hold of by phone and people who don't go to pieces in an emergency.
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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The ICE name will not protect you. I don't think it was ever designed to.
ICE will not prevent your being given emergency treatment or get it given to you. Emergency treatment is given. Period. Consent is not a priority at that point. Whether it should be or not is a separate issue.
ICE will not handle regular consents for regualr procedures
ICE is much more simple, I think, than we are making it. If you want fred notified "in Case of Emergency" then Fred is your ICE contact. Fred may be he one guy you want to have turn up and tell bad jokes. He may have no other relevant functionaility in your life.
ICE will get in contact with sentient life who knows what to do for you (whether empowered to or not), and will help identify who you are if unrecognisable
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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