An ICE list - Something to make sure you have when you really need it.
19 Jul 2018
Dear LPG,
I was reading your article about the importance of maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, which appeared as the LPG news post on July 1st this year, and it occurred to me that we should all have a list of important numbers somewhere accessible in our homes. To quote the article that I am referring to, compiling such a list is likely to be one of the other things that most of us keep meaning to do but that ends up being ‘relegated to the bottom of our to do list’.
In calm times I am sure that we all know where to find the numbers that need to be included on such a list; for instance, I know that the emergency gas telephone number is at the top of each bill that they send me, but in an emergency I wonder if I would remember that fact or even remember where in my house I would be able to put my hands on a bill for that matter.
Perhaps the way to go is to just add relevant information as you come across it. What I mean is that we should keep a note pad and pen handy so that the next time a family member comes across a relevant number it can be added.
Important emergency contact telephone numbers will vary depending on the home they are made for but, the obvious ones will be those of the local police, GP, hospital and emergency utility numbers. When working out which ones to add, I suppose we need to think along the lines of the worst case scenario. … If, God forbid, you had fallen and were found unconscious who would you want them to be able to call? So, the contact number of a neighbour or family member would be added with their knowledge. Once you start the list other important numbers are bound to come to mind.
I hope that we will never need to use such a list, but it would be better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
EW, New Cross.
LPG noted when Googling, that the internet advises the need to have these numbers on your mobile phone, and for those who have the technology and know how we agree that this is a good idea, but in the scenario that EW points out in the article above, there has to be value in keeping a paper version somewhere prominent in your home. We also thought of a very basic but important point, which is the significance of making sure that the list remains legible enough to be read by all. (Numbers are likely to be added and changed from time to time and the list may need to be rewritten to ensure that crossings-out and amendments can be read quickly when really needed).
LPG has found some information including ideas for some of the other numbers that may need to be added to your list, although the ideas come from the USA in some cases where this sort of list is referred to as an ICE (In Case of Emergency) list…
