Posted: February 13, 2009
The St. Lucie County Fire District is partnering with local law enforcement and St. Lucie County medical centers to spread the word about putting citizens’ cell phones on “ICE,” which stand for “In Case of Emergency.”
At a news conference on Feb. 13, Fire Chief Ronald Parrish announced the program, which encourages residents to type the acronym ICE into their cell phones, followed by a name. That person’s phone number is then saved in your cell phone under the ICE entry, after they have been advised they are an ICE contact for you. An ICE sticker, which can be obtained at any fire district in the county, is then applied to the phone as an alert to emergency personnel.
“This is a huge asset for the community and for public safety,” said Chief Parrish. “It will save lives.”
ICE cards, which identify an individual’s name, address, medical conditions and medications can be obtained at the front desks or emergency departments of St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, and Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce. These cards are then kept in a person’s wallet or car, for reference by emergency personnel in the event an injured or ill person cannot speak for themselves.
Joining Chief Parrish at the news conference to stress the life-saving importance of the ICE program were Port St. Lucie Police Chief Donald Shinnamon; Fort Pierce Police Chief Sean Baldwin; St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Garry Wilson; Fire District board member and former St. Lucie County Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson; and several physicians and representatives of Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and St. Lucie Medical Center.
For more information on ICE, visit www.slcfd.com.
For additional information, contact:
Rita Hart
Public Information Officer
City of Port St. Lucie
(772) 873-6325