Brain Injury Awareness Month

The Brain Injury Association of Florida has been supportive of ICE over the years. People should be cognizant that March is the month where this debilitating affliction is recognized and people can donate of volunteer to help others.

Awareness and preventative measures should be a part of your safety program for this month. Certainly persons having injuries that might impair their abilities to communicate could benefit by having other means of communicating important information in an emergency.

The South Florida Chapter can be located at the following link:

http://www.biaf.org/

Smart-ICE - Breaking Away from the Pack

Picking up more and more endorsements from Emergency Physicians and here is an example from Dr. Harvey Castro discussing the phone that speaks for you when you can't!

When you take your time and create a great product and continually upgrade and improve the product because it has your name on it.....it gets noticed.

It is like buying good tools - you have them for life if you buy right the first time.

We will be introducing yet another worldly product in short order in keeping with our pledge to continuous improvement. Nice work EMS-OPTIONS!

http://tinyurl.com/yk9yplg Read from Dr Castro's review.

ICE and Breast Cancer Research

Why a pink icon?

There are times we take up causes for personal reasons…. this is one of them.

Breast Cancer affects millions of people in many different ways, often touching friends or family, so we search for ways to help a loved one fight this disease. A portion of the revenue from sales of this “Pink” edition, will be donated to help promote Breast Cancer Awareness & to help fight this horrible disease!

ICE4SAFETY has authorized that EMS-Options LLC be the sole provider of this fund raising ICE Image so local breast cancer efforts might avail themselves of this tool to help raise additional money to fight this disease. It also makes sense that those who support the fight and those that might be afflicted and have smart phones use this particular application.

EMS Options recommends that you place the “ICE4me” Icon in the upper left-hand corner of the main page and if you use the “Pass code” feature, activate the screen saver option with an emergency contact name and number.

This feature is built into this application’s set-up and will give the emergency contact listed the option to verify who the caller is and provide a Pass code for access to your medical information.

Also, always have a back-up plan for storing emergency medical information. See http://www.ice4safety.com/ for hard copy cards to carry in your wallet or purse and other emergency preparedness information.

Learn more about this new feature and other safety related uses for ICE:

http://www.ems-options.com/ICE4me.html

Thank you!

*NOTE: Apple iTunes is required to be installed on your PC in order to access the iPhone App Store and download the ICE4me iPhone application.

First Aid - Hemostatic Agents - Updates

Watch this short video on the different types of Hemostatic Bandages and Products that should be a part of your first aid kit.

http://paramedictv.ems1.com/media/1144-Insights-on-Innovation-Advances-in-Hemostatic-Agents/

Driving in Snow & ICE

This year much of our country has experienced snow & ice in considerable quantity - including Florida.

Our nation’s capital was closed for several days as they were unprepared for driving in the deluge of snow. Maybe that was a good thing.....

Some safety organizations and government sources will advise you not to drive at all in bad weather which might seem reasonable in some instances - but certainly impractical in others.

Many people absolutely have to get somewhere for one logical reason or another. It makes sense therefore that you know how to drive in all conditions! Some folks who live/work in snow belt areas already be aware of this, but surprisingly many others still don't.

Here are some “Best Practice” Driving Tips:

· If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is mechanically sound and you have
secured preparations like a survival kit on-board and that you know how to adjust and drive
your vehicle in various road conditions. Snow tires will work far better than all-season tires.
· It's helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you're familiar
with how your car handles. (Police Agencies train officers how to drive in various emergency
conditions - so why shouldn’t you learn as well?)
· Some vehicle owner’s manuals contain tips on how to drive in adverse conditions specific to
your vehicle. Check there as well.
· Consider taking driving courses from professional driving schools that teach EVOC courses for
police/fire/ems if you really want to become proficient.

How to Drive Safely on Icy Roads
· Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three
times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
· Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
· Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
· Keep your lights and windshield clean.
· Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
· Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
· Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze
first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in
shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
· Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely
to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind. (They travel at 35MPH in NY)
· Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive
vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

Handling a REAR Wheel Skid...
· Take your foot off the accelerator.
· Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer
left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
· If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward
that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely
under control.
· If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
· If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the
brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.

Handling a FRONT Wheel Skid...
· Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.
· As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If You Get Stuck...
· Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
· Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
· Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
· Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
· Pour sand, cat litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
· Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner's manual first — it can damage the transmission on
some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a
light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.
· Carry an emergency “Rescue Strap” in your vehicle – it is designed to pull your vehicle out of
the snow /mud/ditch - make sure you do not use a “Tow Strap” which is only designed for
towing.

Adapted and Supplemented from National Safety Council; New York State Department of Motor Vehicles; Washington State Government Information & Services