In Case of Emergency (ICE) System

Last month we provided tips for planning where to go and what to take with you when an evacuation is ordered.  Do you have a plan for how family members who are separated will stay in touch with each other during or immediately after a disaster?  Do you have a “cordless” or a “corded” phone in your home?  Phones with cordless handsets need more electricity than they can get from the phone jack, so they won’t work during power outages.  If you only use a cellular phone, do you have a car-charger in case of a power failure?  If you are hurt and can’t communicate clearly, first responders and hospital staff may not know how to contact your family right away.  But if you have a cell phone with you, the In Case of Emergency (ICE) system is now being used nationwide to easily provide the phone numbers for your emergency contacts. 

1. Create a new contact in your cell phone.
   
   
2. Name the contact ICE (or add ICE- to the beginning of an existing contact’s name).
   
   
3. Enter all phone numbers for the person you would like to have notified in a medical emergency.
   
   

EMS personnel can then easily scroll to ICE in your phone’s address book and quickly reach out to your emergency contact.  Don’t forget to let your emergency contacts know that they are in your phone under ICE and provide them with any important medical information they should know if you are unable to communicate (e.g. your blood type, allergies, metal implants, etc.).

It is important for all residents and visitors to be prepared, have an emergency contact, and maintain situational awareness, especially during Hurricane Season. 

Find the Evacuation Zone for ANY property address in Nassau County:

1. Go to www.nassaufl-em.com and click “Evacuation Zones” (or go directly to maps2.roktech.net/nassauflpa/), then
   
   
2. Click on the “Map Layers” tab at the top of the mapping webpage and
   
   
3. Check the “Public Safety” box to turn on that layer, then
   
   
4. Enter an address in the “Search By” box next to the little binoculars icon. 
   
   

More emergency preparedness information can always be found at www.floridadisaster.org

-Martha Wagaman, Senior Planner
 Nassau County Emergency Management