Safety is number one. If your loved one gets hit by a car and is incapacitated, how will you know about it? Will rescue workers know who to call? Will he or she be tagged as a John or Jane Doe? This is a hideous thought for most of us. 

OF COURSE WE WANT TO KNOW! Not five minutes from now, NOW! When a loved one is in trouble, we want an immediate call letting us know when, where, and what's going on to help them. Then, we just need to get there (hopefully safely). 

Fortunately, getting that call isn't that hard - if you take a few steps to prepare ahead of time. You want everyone on I.C.E. 

I.C.E. is a national program that allows rescue workers to know how to reach you - and to know who to call if you have an emergency. It stands for (I)n (C) ase of (E) mergency. It works like this:

When you or someone you love becomes incapacitated, rescue workers will try to find a cell phone. They will open the cell phone contacts and look for an entry that says "ICE." If/when they find it, they will call the number (s) found within and let the person on the other end of the line know what's going on. Cool, right?

Here's how to set it up:

1. Open the contracts or address book in your cell phone. 
2. Create a new contact. Label that contact ICE.
3. Input emergency contact numbers to that entry
4. Save the contact

That's all there is to it. Now, you will be better protected in case you get incapacitated. Rescue workers and other medical personnel across the country have been trained to look for ICE contact information. 

Now, let's hope you never have to use it!

Stay safe.