I.C.E.
| ICE |
 ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Mark Balduzzi isn't old. He isn't sick. He isn't paranoid, either. But he's seen enough shootings, car accidents, and 52-car pile ups to know his life could end at any moment. "Even though I think I have another 30 good years left, I know tomorrow I could get hit on the road by some nitwit," says Balduzzi, 50, who was a police officer for 15 years and a paramedic for eight in New York and is now a health and safety consultant for the insurance industry. That's why he has all his ducks in a row: He's filled out all the right forms so his wife can make medical and financial decisions for him in case he can't make them himself. We don't like to think about it, but any of us could get hit tomorrow by a nitwit. So here, step by step, is what to do now to prepare. Step 1: Put crucial medical information in wallet and glove box Imagine the crash scene. It's pandemonium. The paramedics come and scoop you up off the pavement. You're unconscious, or maybe incoherent. How will they know what medicines you're taking and what medicines you're allergic to? That information could save your life. Put the cards in your wallet -- Balduzzi has his in the see-through plastic section -- and in your glove box, and in anything else, like an appointment book, you carry around with you. "Being redundant is a key part of preparedness," he says. Step 2: Put your "in case of emergency" numbers in wallet, glove box, cell phone "I've spent many hours digging through people's wallets and going through cell phones looking for emergency contact numbers," says Denise King, president of the Emergency Nurses Association. For the cell phone entries, Balduzzi once again recommends redundancy. Emergency workers know to look for "ICE" which stands for "In Case of Emergency." An "AA" will keep the number at the top of your contacts list. "AA ICE" or "AA Emergency info" or "ICE spouse," are all good ideas for cell phone entries. But the cell phone isn't enough, King says. "When your car hits the tree at 50 mph, the cell phone goes flying," she says. "The wallet you're sitting on is much more likely to still be there." In case of emergency (ICE) is a program that enables first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, to identify victims and contact their next of kin to obtain important medical information. The program was conceived in the mid-2000s and promoted by British paramedic Bob Brotchie in May 2005. It encourages people to enter emergency contacts in their cell phone address book under the name "ICE". Alternately, a person can list multiple emergency contacts as "ICE1", "ICE2", etc. The popularity of the program has spread across Europe and Australia, and has started to grow into North America. |