Once “getting help” is covered by 9-1-1 or the local Lakewood Station number, 562-623-3500, what’s next? Cell phones can be an indispensable lifeline at times of crisis.

But, portable phones pose a conundrum for caregivers and emergency services staff who may use them to reach next of kin. Which of the many numbers stored in electronic address books should they call?

A simple initiative, conceived by a paramedic in Britain, has gained momentum on both sides of the Atlantic works to solve this problem. They urge cell phone users 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 phone address books, creating entries such as "ICE--Dad" or "ICE--Allison." Some phones may even feature pre-made listings highlighted in red.

In a crisis ICE numbers will stand out. While not part of emergency services standard procedures, this can provide emergency personnel and emergency room staff leads on the correct person to call. Specially identified numbers may save the time it takes to look through wallets for clues, or to scroll through cell address books and have to guess who is an appropriate emergency contact.