Pretty much everybody has a cellphone.
Pretty much everybody has a cell phone. And maybe it’s the latest high-tech smart phone, or maybe it’s a dumpy phone like mine. It really is dumpy, but I like it. But either way, if you want to help yourself out in an emergency, I mean a REAL emergency; you’d better make sure your phone has ICE. I know, I know, ICE. It sounds so high-tech and expensive. But it isn’t.
ICE is an acronym for ‘In Case of Emergency’. As I’m sure you’re away, emergencies can happen anywhere. You know, a heavy pallet falls on you at work, your neighbor’s chainsaw spins out of control, or you have the bright idea to try and hang up your Christmas lights. In record time. Life is a disaster waiting to happen.
ICE used by first response people, you know, paramedics, police, and firefighters. Often, rescue workers waste valuable time looking through wallets and cell phones trying to track down your family because they can’t always ask you. We read in the Washington Post that in 2003, 900,000 emergency room patients couldn’t provide contact information because they were incapacitated. Speed Christmas lights was a bad idea. Giving emergency response people a standard place to look for contact information is a good thing. Because when you’re unconscious, you don’t answer a lot of questions.
Back in the old days, all you needed was an indelible ink marker and you could write all that important stuff down on your underpants. Name, phone #, address, next of kin, it was pretty much all there. Of course that’s where they’re going to look! Hospitals are weird that way. Every time you go in there, they end up asking you to take off all your clothes. What, you got a sinus infection? Drop your drawers and wait in the next room. No, no, no need to fill out the patient form, we’ll get it all off your undies. I’m tired of that system. And all the cold benches you have to sit on. Not to mention the up-draft in those hospital gowns. But let’s get back to the relevant part.
How does ICE work? It’s simple! You put a contact in your phone that starts with the letters I C E, and make the phone number your emergency contact. It can even include a specific name, like ICE-Mom, or ICE-Jerry, or whatever. Just make sure that the first letters are I C E. That’s what the emergency people will be looking for. There’s also no rule against using the address field of your ICE contact to give the rescue people a little bit more information, like “I’m allergic to penicillin” or “I take some kind of heart medication” and “If I die, donate my body to science.”
Even though ICE is a great idea, it’s not a substitute for more traditional precautions, like always telling a family member where you’re going and what time you expect to be back, or carrying a little slip of paper in your wallet that contains the same information that’s in your ICE contact. Or your underpants.
Now a while back there were some rumors flying around the internet about how putting an ICE contact on your phone made it susceptible to some sort of mobile phone virus that could steal your contact information. Which has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I mean, if ICE opens you up to viral attacks, imagine what could happen if you typed in M-O-M.
Stay back! This phone has the “MOM” virus.
So don’t sweat the virus threats, don’t mark up your underwear, and put ICE on your phone. That way, when you flat line, they’ll know who to call.
Stay cool in an emergency. Put ICE on your phone. What do you need when you’re hurt? ICE. On your phone. Don’t freeze up in a disaster. Use ICE. ‘Cause it’s cool. On your phone.
Transcribed by: Erin S.
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39 Comments
gstaltari
There actually is a solution to locked phones - as well as having ICE in your phone you could have ...cshillam
there is a serious flaw with the ice solution. if the phone, for example the I-phone (which i have) has ...Rob B
I'm waiting attentively for the video. Don't keep me waiting pleeeeaaase =)wx5aaa
You guy's must be driving threw the desert again. Maybe something to do with the fires?steph {207}
Come on Winn Bros I need to have your guy's videos every week!! -goes insane-Rob B
I hope the Wednesday show comes on time =)Nospinplease
still no video? comon Winn brothers!thorondor {207}
I've decided to expect them on Wednesdays, then it's a pleasant suprise when it actually does come on TuesdayAbaddon
Another Tuesday and no show. Should we just start considering your release dates to be Wednesdays?Nospinplease
no tuesday show... waaaa! =(senpai
I thought this show would be about something totally different. I have never heard of ICE before. I just might ...Ingrid [22]
@pkw, not really, the first time I heard about this is a probably a little over 2 years ago...Curtis [22]
I always thought this was a good idea. Had heard about it years ago. I've seen it promoted ...pkw
I commented on this to a police officer friend of ours, and he didn't know what ICE was. His ...fdisk2
As the phone more and more becomes your mobile PC, won't more people be locking them down and encrypting them? ...Drecon [22]
Ingrid's right. There's a nice fine if you get caught without ID. But the police can't really ask you for ...Ingrid [22]
@Guin: I'm not joking, you are required to carry ID on you when you are older than 12 years old ...Curtis [22]
Good show. Great info and more great ideas in the comments, which makes the show even better.Guin
To Ingrid : Whaaaaa!! For real?Guin
SOOO.. What's up with the no shaveing? Where's your shaveing chit sailor!? (nevermind that last one) This was a COOL show ...Rob B
i wouldn't mind those hospital gowns one bit. ;) lots of ventilation is a good thing!graceofbass [22]
Also, I think its funny when you make yourself laugh.graceofbass [22]
Holy LOL on the updraft in the hopsital gown. Last time I had to go to the hospital I had ...Rob B
This show is 10000000000000000(I can go on forever) times better than some of the recent ones, good job! I'll be ...Meandering {207}
I heard about ICE a while back, but it wasn't until I was in an accident and the contacts in ...Nospinplease
ICE ICE baby. =D Nice video, it is a really good idea. Oh no! the MOM virus! AHH! haha. I ...steph {207}
Ok now that show was so much better! ICE is a good idea. That so needs to be a T-shirt: ...CrazyDave
Wait...we're not supposed to check underwear for contact info :)CrazyDave
ICE is nice, ICE for sale MyICE on ICE, 10 cents a paleACE
What was that ?????? :@ Admitidley the "ice on your phone" thing was funny butnot as good as your bioluminesence one. Youve ...marc
As much as I think ICE is a good idea, I think a simple Mom or Dad will do the ...pmmacc
While your assumptions about viewer reviews are good, maybe you should consider the ideas that one show a week sets ...Michelle {207}
kahrytan, if you are concerned about drowning or some sort of water incident where cell phone or paper might be ...kahrytan
I carry my Red Cross Donor card in my wallet. It clearly shows my blood type. And of course, ID. ...koolman2
I put this entry into my phone, but I put the number '1' instead of the letter 'I' so that ...Ingrid [22]
I knew this for a while and have this number in my phone, just in case. Also in my wallet ...Anonymi [22]
I know at college it is more practical for a phone to be used over a piece of paper in ...The Brothers Winn
Weggles, I think the low tech paper in the wallet is a better solution as well. (It doesn't break or run ...WEGGLES
Great episode, but wouldn't it make more sense to put all the info on a slip of paper in your ...