Cell phones have proven to be the lifeblood of our society. During Sept. 11, they were the only source of contact many frightened people had. After Hurricane Katrina, victims turned to cell phones to alert their loved ones they were safe. Regardless of whether or not those phones were able to get reception, the numbers were there to call.

In case of emergency, numbers and information are things that save social workers and emergency medical personnel a lot of time and effort. For people with medical conditions like diabetes, heart conditions and any major allergies, MedicAlert tags provide EMTs and paramedics with ways of knowing your history so they have a better sense of what’s wrong and how to help you more quickly.

Now, people are going to be able to go one step further and ICE their phones. ICE, standing for “in case of emergency,” is a new feature that was started by a paramedic of almost 15 years, Bob Botchie. The system is designed so that people can store emergency contact numbers in the ICE database. Emergency personnel will be able to get a hold of these numbers by scrolling down the person’s phonebook in their computer to “ICE.” From there, they can call the ICE database and all of that person’s emergency contacts will be released.

This is especially useful for younger teenagers who are now receiving cell phones at the ages of 10 and 11. Because of their ages, children and young adults are unable to legally make medical decisions for themselves. For example, if a 13-year-old has a medical emergency, whether it’s a sprained ankle or a syncopal episode, they have to be transported to the hospital regardless of what they want. Being able to contact the parents, who would be listed as their in case of emergency people in their cell phone, would make the situation a lot less hectic and more comforting. Notifying a parent their child sprained their ankle before they’re at the hospital and letting them know the severity of the situation is a lot better than the parent getting a call from the charge nurse at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

ICE also has different packages that people can elect to have on their phones, including ICE Basic, ICE Alert, ICE Solo, ICE Family and ICE Corporate, with a range of levels of information stored and methods of access.

This is not a mandatory service, and yes, it does cost money. However, for those of us who are able to afford cell phones, this is nothing compared to the comfort and security of knowing your loved ones are safe and well that ICE offers. This service would have been a great help during Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina and the London bombings. You may not see a need for such a service right now, but neither did the victims of any of the above disasters. The emotional comfort it gives is at least something positive when one’s world seems like it’s collapsing.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board.