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2006-04-05 - Ice Your Phone PROFESSIONAL PARAMEDIC ASSOCIATION OF OTTAWA - MEDIA RELEASE - ICE YOUR PHONE Wed, Apr 5, 2006 Ottawa – Imagine... a friend, a family member, a colleague or even yourself having a medical emergency and being unable to tell Paramedics important critical personal information such as serious medical conditions, important medications, life threatening allergies or who else to contact. The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa (PPAO) wants to help improve communication for the sick and injured who cannot speak for themselves at a time when it matters most. Andrew Gleeson, Director of Communications for the PPAO says, “We want you to ICE YOUR PHONE!” ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. It is a simple and easy task that involves identifying key contacts by entering the letters “ICE” before their name. The ICE YOUR PHONE strategy has already saved countless lives! When you ICE YOUR PHONE, Paramedics will be instantly connected to vital information that is needed to get our patients the proper treatment with the shortest possible delay. ICE YOUR PHONE has been proven to work by Paramedics during the aftermath of the London bombings in 2005, and in other Canadian cities such as Calgary. United Kingdom Paramedic Bob Brotchie and founder of ICE YOUR PHONE, states that “It’s difficult to know who to call. Someone might have a ‘mom’ in their phone book but that doesn’t mean they’d want them contacted in an emergency. Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with ICE (YOUR PHONE), we’d know immediately who to contact and what number to ring.” It is simple and easy to ICE YOUR PHONE. This allows paramedics to find someone else who can speak for you when you cannot and need it most. More info is available at OttawaParamedics.ca. It is our hope that this campaign will also help to reduce misdialed or bogus 911 calls. It was recently reported that Police and Paramedics responded to over 900 misdialed or bogus 911 calls in January and February alone. 9-1-1 should never be programmed into a speed dialer. - 30 - For further details regarding the ICE YOUR PHONE campaign or for information on how to ICE YOUR PHONE, please contact: Andrew Gleeson, Primary Care Paramedic Director of Communications Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa 300 March Road (4th Floor) Ottawa, ON K2K 2E2 Phone: (613) 244-0333 ext 9 Pager: (613) 787-0545 www.OttawaParamedics.ca president@ottawaparamedics.ca The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa is responsible for promoting the practice of Paramedicine and ensuring the highest level of care for our patients. We are leaders in the advancement of Paramedicine and achieve our objectives through public awareness, research and education. We lobby for self-regulation under the Regulated Health Professions Act. We also assist in fundraising for community-based charities. The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa is a proud chapter of the Ontario Paramedic Association and the Paramedic Association of Canada. The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa (PPAO) is not a labour union. |