Firemen Ask for Solo RVer’s Help
In a free seminar put on by the Quartzsite, Arizona fire department for RVers, an interesting–and somewhat ’stop and think about it’–topic was brought up. Almost every year, says the fire department representative, a body is found in the Quartzsite desert, usually of someone who wandered off, got disoriented, and never made it back to their rig. Since solo RVers have nobody “at home” to notice their absence, ‘could we please make it easier on the fire department and medical services folks?’
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The recommendation was that solo RVers put emergency contact information on their person and in their rigs? One possibility is the so-called “vial of life,” something as simple as a jar inside your refrigerator with your personal information inside. At times government officials finally wind up going inside an apparently abandoned RV to try and get the bottom of a missing owner. Too often they’re able to identify the owner from vehicle registration information, but just who to contact may not be clear. In one instance the police found a cell phone in an “abandoned” rig and kept it charged up and at the station until a concerned friend called find out why they hadn’t heard from their loved one.
Sobering, yes. But loving kindness moves us to do what we can to avoid this problem.
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December 8th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
>We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory
>but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to
>our closest family or friends. If we were to be involved in an accident or
>were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but
>wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but
>which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this ‘ICE’
>(In Case of Emergency) Campaign The concept of ‘ICE’ is catching on
>quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell
>phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is
>store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted
>during emergency under the name ‘ICE’ ( In Case Of Emergency). The idea was
>thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of
>accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn’t
>know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good
>idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an
>emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would
>be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number
>you have stored as ‘ICE.’ For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1,
>ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference! Let’s spread
>the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in ourMobile phones today!
>Please forward this. It won’t take too many ‘forwards’ before everybody
>will know about this It really could save your life, or put a loved one’s
>mind at rest . ICE will speak for you when you are not able to.
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:21 am
Good idea about the concept of ICE in our cell phones.I entered mine & forward this message to my family members.It doesn’t cost nothing.
December 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 am
As a solo RVer I have done several of these things already. In addition, I wear a bracelet with contact information, blood type, allergies, etc., inside. (About $10 at CVS) As for the ICE idea, I took it a step further. I entered a blank space in front of my ICE numbers to make them appear at the top of the contact list. I entered my brother’s phone numbers like this: _ICE Bro Cell, _ICE Bro Home and _ICE Bro Ofc
December 22nd, 2007 at 2:55 pm
“ICE” is not a bad idea–as a backup. As an example, the LA Fire Department supports the ICE on cellphone idea, but only IN ADDITION to having emergency contact information in your wallet or purse. Why? 1. A cell phone can be damaged in an accident, making the ICE info inaccessible. 2. There’s no way to ID what cell phone belongs to whom, but if contact info is in a wallet or purse, the ID in the wallet will help make the connection. 3. With the wide variety of cell phones, finding the “key” to getting at the phone’s “address book,” can easily frustrate emergency responders. They recommend you ALWAYS keep contact info on paper (or on a bracelet) on your person.
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Before I ever heard of ICE, I had a plan in place with my cell phone. I simply listed my relatives in the phone and their relationship: (Tom/husband), (Jane/daughter), (Kurt/son). I put my own name and number in as well, (Peggy/me). I did the same with my husband’s cell phone. I have to admit, that my kid’s thought it was “odd”, but it may save my life some day.
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