I love to see simple, practical ideas gain momentum; here’s one that’s reaching its tipping point:
WaPo:
To its owner, the cell phone is an indispensable lifeline at times of crisis, reuniting loved ones separated by unforeseen events at the touch of a button. But for members of the emergency services making life-and-death decisions, the cell poses a conundrum: Which of the numbers stored in its electronic address book should they call to reach a casualty’s next of kin?
Now a simple initiative, conceived by a paramedic in Britain, has gained momentum on both sides of the Atlantic to try to solve this problem. Cell users are being urged to put the acronym ICE — “in case of emergency” — before the names of the people they want to designate as next of kin in their cell address book, creating entries such as “ICE — Dad” or “ICE — Alison.”