I.n C.ase of E.mergency

Most of us have an emergency contact, but if you don't have that information on you at all times, it doesn't do much good. So the Tulsa Fire Department and EMSA are telling people to put it where

Wednesday, July 27th 2005, 12:35 pm

By: News On 6

Most of us have an emergency contact, but if you don't have that information on you at all times, it doesn't do much good. So the Tulsa Fire Department and EMSA are telling people to put it where we almost always have it, our cell phones.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg says they call it the ICE program. It stands for "in case of emergency."

The News on 6 talked with a woman who was in a bad accident, who says it's a good idea. â€œYou never know when an accidents gonna happen just like we were on our way to Arkansas and we just expected to be gone a few hours, enjoy ourselves and be on our way back home." But it didn't work out that way for Paula Matteuzzi, or Rose as her friends call her. She was riding with a group of motorcycles on US highway 51 last month, when police say a van pulled in front of them.

Rose was nearly killed and her friends weren't sure who to tell the hospital officials to call. â€œAnd so the bikers showed up first and they didn't really have the authority to say what could be done to me. So you need to start it right away and I lost a lot of blood on the scene and I guess on the flight too."

Officials prescribe ICE, which stands for in case of emergency. They say enter the name ICE in your phone and then put your emergency contact number there. In fact, they say put in ICE 1, ICE 2 and ICE 3, in case they can't get a hold of the first person you list. â€œI think it's a great idea. When we had our motorcycle accident, they didn't know how to contact my family because some of them have different last names, the girls."

Rose has put her ICE numbers in her phone, but hopefully she'll never need them, because she's definitely been through enough. "I'm getting stronger. My therapists really say Iâ€™m doing better. I've got a ways to go." Rose lost her right eye in the crash and has numerous broken bones and a fractured skull. She has 6 months to a "year" of surgeries ahead.

The ICE program idea started in England by a paramedic, who had many troubles getting contact information from accident victims.