Putnam County is debuting the ICE cellphone program.

In case of emergency, if you are unconscious, how do rescuers get in touch with your loved ones to let them know that you are ill?

It used to be that law enforcement would run your car license number, or look up your address on a driver's license-if you are carrying one, and, too often, hours later, notify your loved one.

Not anymore. Now, a simple program called ICE, makes getting in touch much faster-and simpler.ICE (In Case of Emergency), was first developed by the East Anglian Ambulance Service in England and a paramedic named Bob Brochie. Putnam County is one of the first municipalities in the United States to adopt ICE, following Seattle, Washington, and Madison, Connecticut.

Cell Phone users make an entry into their cell phone’s address book with the indicator: ICE. This ICE number listed in their cell phone address book should contain the phone number of a next of kin or other person that you would like to contact in the event of an emergency.

This entry could be made even more specific and equally helpful by denoting the ICE entry as: ICE mom, or ICE dad for quicker reference. You are encouraged to make more than one ICE entry into your address book in the event that one or more entries cannot be reached. 

Often, people are in possession of their cell phones even when not carrying personal identification as might be the case when involved in athletic activities such as bicycling, running, or walking. 

After PutnamLIVE.com learned about ICE, we suggested it to Putnam County Emergency Services Director Frank Chapman, who along with  Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith as well as the West Virginia State Police and local police departments agreed to implement ICE immediately.

"With ICE, we're going to be able to provide a faster response for notification of next of kin," says Chapman, "For family members, not only for the law enforcement agencies, but also for fire and EMS and for first responders who are out in the field."

"Anytime you have a tragic situation where someone is critically injured, it's a problem trying to get in touch with  someone and get a hold of the right person," says Smith. "This tells us that when the injured person has the name and number in their cellphone that this the person they want us to contact, and we can call the right person."

"ICE is a program that gives us another tool to work with," says Hurricane Chief of Police Mark Baker. "When you don't have any information on somebody that is critically injured, you're looking for that and you need it now. And ICE gives us that immediately if you program it into your cell phone."

Often when someone is injured, medical decisions have to be made, and medical history has to be obtained by emergency room workers. With ICE, getting that crucial information and permission is much easier, and could help save someone's life.

"Anytime we have any type of improvement in the communication system where we can notify loved ones and family members a little quicker or help that patient in a better way, we're all for that," says Betsy Donahue, spokesperson for Putnam General Hospital. "We're always striving to respond quickly and treat our patients and their family members in the best way possible when there is an emergency."

Baker, Chapman and Smith say that they will use ICE in as sensitive manner as possible. In the event where someone passes away, they don't deliver the tragic news with a cellphone.

"It's terrible when you lose a loved one," says Smith. "When we have to deliver that kind of news, we will always do it in with the utmost sensitivity."