In a medical emergency, you may not be able to communicate with paramedics with your pertinent health and next of kin contact information.
That’s where an ICE pouch comes in. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency.
Spokesperson with Parkland Ambulance in Prince Albert, Lyle Karasiuk, says they have partnered with Lake Country Co-op Pharmacies to supply free ICE pouches.
They have questions inside which will help you to list everything needed and then the idea is to place that pouch somewhere easy for first responders to find, like your fridge door.
Even without this specific pouch, Karasiuk urges everyone to have a list handy which would include your name, your health card number, your next of kin’s contact information, any prescriptions you might have and any medical conditions.
Karsiuk explains that someone who lives alone may not have a person there who knows all of these facts when paramedics arrive, so this way they have the information quickly at hand and can also relay to medical personnel at the hospital.