Canadian Emergency Officials Cool to ICE Program
The ICE trend may be sweeping the cellphone-using public, but it may not be the time-saver it's billed to be, according to some emergency service officials in Waterloo Region.
ICE, in cellphone lingo, stands for In Case of Emergency.
Users input their emergency contact numbers, with the prefix ICE, in their cellphone directory so emergency personnel can quickly contact next of kin.
The idea, dreamed up and promoted by a British paramedic, has been gaining popularity across the pond and around the cellphone-using world since suicide bombers rocked the London Underground in July.
Last week, Hamilton police launched their ICE program and Waterloo regional police will roll out a similar program by the end of the year, Insp. Bryan Larkin said.
"Usually, we deal with purses and wallets when we're identifying victims," he said, "But we think there's a lot of great viability with ICE because most people now carry a cellphone.
"When ID is not available, it can be helpful."
The program is cheap to launch -- all it takes is a memo to staff and a notice to the public.
And it doesn't take much time, if you're technologically adept, to put a number into a cellphone directory.
So what's the the issue with ICE?
Well, in Ontario at least, having a number programmed in your cellphone doesn't necessarily mean your family will be informed any faster of an emergency.
For example, don't expect a call from police, via a loved one's cellphone, in the event a friend or family member is badly hurt or killed.
Waterloo regional police tell family members in person about a death or serious injuries, Larkin said.
"To do so over the phone creates a number of challenges," he said. "This could help generate leads, but it will still be our practice to notify next of kin in person."
Identifying someone through their cellphone can be tricky as well, said John Prno, emergency medical services director for Waterloo Region.
"If the phone gets separated from the person, how do you know for sure that you're not identifying the wrong person?" he said.
In Ontario, the Good Samaritan Act allows live-saving measures to be administered without first obtaining permission from next of kin, Prno said.
That means even if you have an ICE number, paramedics will focus on saving your life before searching though your phone, he said.
"An ICE number is nice to have, but there are so many other things we're concerned with," he said.
In the end, ICE-ing your phone may not hurt and in a large-scale disaster it may be more effective than a driver's licence alone, Larkin said.
But for now, your cellphone will likely be one of the last places emergency service workers check in a small-scale accident.
"It's not going to be the highest priority in our work functions," Prno said.
"I'd still rather have someone with a Medic Alert bracelet that tells me that they have diabetes than have to play around with their phone."
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