Emergency Symbol Recognition

Emergency Symbol Comprehension


ICE4SAFETY’s trademarked emergency icon was created in 2005 by safety professionals wanting a “Best Practice” highly recognizable and memorable symbol to represent emergency preparedness.
This is especially important for our highly diverse as well as our aging members of society who may find some of the new safety symbology confusing.


We believe we created a very useful and easy to understand representative safety icon and here is the short form reasons why:



1. Symbols should be visually simple & representational. Simple and direct is best.
ICE symbol is comprised of bonified safety colors (Orange, Blue with White lettering) found on OSHA/ANSI signage. ICE represents medical emergency preparedness and reflects the extensively used NHTSA “Star of Life”.  ICE = In Case of Emergency.

Independent study has shown that the term “ICE” is widely recognized by the majority of American citizenry. The concept continues to get coverage in the national media. For those who may not be immediately cognizant of the symbol’s meaning it is a simple and easy task to understand and recall in an emergency situation.

2. Increased Complexity should be relevant and necessary in communicating the symbol’s meaning.
We kept the symbol simple. One need only recall that ICE and Emergency are synonymous.


Text denoting ICE is in plain sight – not obscured by any other symbology, notices, graphics or distracting irrelevant terms such as advertising.
In fact any such sponsorship of the printing of ICE images is relegated to one line (only) of non-distracting text on the bottommost edge of the symbol. Creations of promotional materials for community groups or EMS/Fire is strictly that – promotional. Actual use materials are strictly function oriented. Once again KISS.



3. Symbols should not be arbitrary if they are abstract.
The six bars of the NHTSA Star of Life and safety color scheme are representative of safety in all sectors of our society and have been for decades.

4. Using abstract or arbitrary symbols – using contextual or verbal cues in design may facilitate initial symbol comprehension and increase training effectiveness.
Training and awareness “uptake” for the ICE symbol representing emergency preparedness, workplace safety, emergency medical-contact and related safety/preparedness uses rapid and long term. We advocate KISS and REDUNDANCY as prime concepts of preparedness. The use of “ICE” is promoted for cell phone use and is incorporated in phone design and as an ITU international communication standard E.123 that electronic devices are programmed to recognize by design. 

5. “Learnability” can aid in selection of the best symbol from a set of symbols of similar comprehensibility.
One need only review a list of the various symbols used on jobsites and workplaces to see there are conflicting and confusing symbols that can be misunderstood. Not with ICE.


Learning what ICE represents can be as easy as one 5 second training at a visitor station at any hospital, workplace, business, school, vehicle safety, government facility or home. It IS that simple. A doctoral study in hospitals in Amsterdam has shown that even an uninformed medical professional easily comprehends ICE and immediately agrees to the use of this term and the concept of preparedness that is represented. 

ICE4SAFETY appreciates the support ICE has received and for the continued interest and use in community safety programs.


Recommendations for symbol design were adapted from an article by fellow ASSE members in the March 2012 Professional Safety Magazine - The Aging Workforce by Mary F. Lesch, William J. Horrey, W. Ryn Powell and Michael Wogalter. Page 45-49 www.asse.org

ICE in Your Vehicle - Example

This photo submitted came from Florida where hundreds of thousands of citizens have been using ICE as a preparedness tool. This particular vehicle was equipped with an ICE Sticker on the glove box so first responders could access emergency medical information in an an accident scene or other medical emergency.

Having the same icon (2x2" ICE Sticker) on the rear or side window (drivers side) would alert responders that this info is "on board" and available.

Be redundant - have ICE Cards in your wallet along with Emergency Medical Info forms, have your cell phones programmed with contact and emergency info and of course use Smart-ICE if you have a smart phone! Make sure your contacts have your critical medical info on hand as well.

ICE4SAFETY has just created a "Current Medication List" that people can use to provide EMS with an expedient way to evaluate if your medications are involved with the medical emergency and what protocol to follow. http://www.ice4safety.com/diy.html

Do something for yourself and family this preparedness month and beyond!

What Works and What Doesn't!

When you are good - people copy what you do - some do it badly as we have see with ICE applications and other ICE safety related products......some real badly.

ICE4SAFETY went to OHIO to this past week to review the introduction of the new iPhone application and saw first hand how smart-ICETM works (and how some others did not).

This application is awesome - easy to use, intuitive, logical and has plenty of features that make it work in so many useful ways to help save you life if called upon. It was designed by a fella who was in that very situation.....and has a passion for making sure this works for everyone.

We have shared that same passion here at ICE4SAFETY for some time which is why we do what we do - we have worked the street and are now giving back to the communities we once served.

It sometimes is troubling to see people making claims about safety that they cannot back up - like these merchants claiming to provide free ICE Cards and other items.......we've been doing it for years.

Please - don't settle for junk.

Take a few extra moments and evaluate all the aspects of your purchase and how it can be used - and what support you have. We mentioned this in earlier blogs.... we don't have any guys in white lab coats running around claiming to be doctors promoting the ICE products - we don't need to.

We spent considerable time working and updating this and all the other applications for ICE and will continue to do so.

Next week we anticipate the introduction of the family version of this application!

Remember: Never rely on any one device or method to ensure your safety - think redundancy!

Thank You OnStar

On Star advertisements on the radio recently were heard to say that "cell phone based" emergency contact systems were not reliable or useful in the event of an emergency.

There is some element of truth to that OnStar, so thank you very much for the free support of what we have said here all along...which is that basing your entire personal safety plan around (a cell phone or car based system) one single safety measure is foolhardy.

So, unless you live in your car or next to the refrigerator in your house - OnStar and Info Vial programs aren't going to serve all your safety needs. Both of these programs were meant to serve one purpose - increase sales of cars or prescription drugs.

GM is going bankrupt right now so maybe they felt it time to take a swipe against those folks who might not be able to afford the pricey $500-600 a year on vehicle based safety program - or the new car they come in either. What is the company's public service message? Buy more OnStar. (How does that work when you decide to travel in someone else's car anyway?)

Maybe the government initiated vehicle VIN# based ICE notification project started 4 years ago isn't moving along fast enough (or at all) now for GM - who knows and who is waiting anyway.

ICE4SAFETY's public service of providing a simple, yet effective emergency contact and info system (DIY) method is working - RIGHT NOW.

No, it is not satellite based but you don't have to purchase a car to get it either!

We also noticed Verizon Wireless Service being mentioned on the OnStar website.....reminds us about that old adage of doing something unpleasant where you eat.....Verizon is the only mobile service offering "cell phone based" ICE on their phones. Oh well.

Thank you for lending support to the idea of redundancy - even if that was not the original intent. And hey, there is nothing wrong with having OnStar on board.....like we said - don't make it all you count on in an emergency.

Another Phone Update - Apple Touch Screen Devices

In response to some inquiries about Apple products.....ICE4SAFETY stopped in to chat with two wireless consultants - James and Joshua at the AT&T Store in Shoppingtown. We learned about the latest touch screen phones also know as iPhones.

Apple also is the maker of another non-phone PDA-like and Wi-Fi Internet Access device known as the Ipod Touch. The Touch is a pretty slim unit capable of fitting in your shirt pocket. Despite not being a phone, it can store vital emergency contact information as well.

The original IPod is a non-phone/scroll wheel affair that stores music (iTunes) and video.

The IPod Touch and iPhone update their contact lists via a direct "synching" with a computer email program (Mac or PC). Synch is tech speak for "update". You can also update manually at any time too using your finger....the touch screen keyboard being infinitely more friendly than your cell phone.

You can create contact folders on the Touch and I-Phone and associate a picture or icon (ICE) with the contacts. You will need to update or synch the ICE4SAFETY Image into your devices or capture the image from the website (http://www.ice4safety.com/).

Latest software updates in January 2008 allow users to create new icons or widgets on your HomeScreen and place any four onto the Docket (see above)at the bottom of the screen. By creating an ICE Widget or Icon and placing it in the "docket" it will be displayed on all of your homescreens (you could create up to 8).

Update that ICE folder with contact information by manually inserting numbers into the list. You can rename each entry to reflect the order or type of contact - ICE1, ICE2, ICE DoctorSmith etc. If you have the earlier software you would need to access the existing "Contact" Icon or Widget on your home screen and enter a contact name using AA Emergency Contacts. The touch screen phones will list the contacts alphabetically by either first or last name.....you can select how using the set up menu option (e.g. Mark Smith or Smith, Mark). These entries scroll and can be longer than phone entries as the screens are larger.

New iPhones have 16 Gigabytes of memory - plenty of room for storing a photo of the owner (You) and the ICE icon as well. Remember - Redundancy....don't rely on this device alone.

If you might find yourself trying to use one of these someday - you should take a few moments to see one in action at the Apple link below...it is short and sweet.

Learn to use Apple iPhones Here!

Phone Update - Advance Directive Info

The cell phones that are carried by roughly 80% of the population already have the capability to serve as a repository for emergency information and manufacturers continue to increase that capability. You may have to decide if your phone is going to be a toy or a serious tool and then use accordingly.

We are going to provide some updates on using the phone to be a better vehicle for storing and exhibiting emergency notification information.

One key tenant of preparedness is REDUNDANCY.

Address Book Title: To get the contacts to the top of your address book list we have recommended using the "AA EMERGENCY" or "AA ICE CONTACTS" appraoch as it brings the entry to the top of the list so it scrolls across the top.

If you need to differentiate the health care proxy seperately then you can do so by "AA HEALTHPROXY". This feature sorts alphabetically so if you have both SIM Card storage and phone storage it may show up in front of your emergency contact list - or at least one of them. Solve this by adding an additional "A" to the entry for the one you want first up.

If you are using the original ICEMOM, ICE DAD approach, then you can accomplish this update by using ICEHEALTHPROXY (it fits).

Group Category: It fits across the screen in capital letters as well. If you are fortunate enough to have a phone from a carrier that has already recognized the need for emergency contact info as a group category you can add this descriptor to your contacts as well to further improve the redundancy factor.

Dialing Display Settings: Do everyone a favor and stay away from the weird low contrast backgrounds when setting up your display - use LARGE FONT and high contrast background to letters so your info can be read in all light conditions. Make sure your kids don't change it to the kaleidoscope color scheme to be cute - this really may not be the appropriate time for "cute".

Greeting Message Settings: This is the one that comes one when you turn the phone on. It can display limited text greetings, but it disappears in a few seconds so, KISS - enter your full name and either "owner of phone" or "emergency info here" to the display in bold font. Unless your phone has more capability then that is all you can get in the text box despite it showing more.....if you find a way let us know.

Picture Storage: Take your own picture and store inthe phone and title it with your name and "phone". For example "JohnSmith Owner.jpg" You can store on the phone memory and the card memory. If your kids have a few hundred pics and video stored there...it may be confusing and too time consuming for someone to sort through all that mess.

Document Storage: You can upload a written document to you phone using a phone card adapter or you can record/upload your own voice or video that will allow medical folks in the ER to have a better understanding about your Health Care Proxy/DNR and medical treatment wishes - you will be treated as these are not - "do not treat" orders. How that will be decided right now will rely heavily on the proper documents being available to those handling your medical care - they do not want to make any mistakes, you can count on that. We don't know the full extent of how this might work just yet - but when we do we''ll post it here and on the website. But don't wait until then to get started.

Phone Security: You can lock up data on your phone using a pin # and prvent access to the contacts and other stored information. That would essentially defeat the purpose of using a cell phone for storage so others may access it. Using an ICE Card to log contact info and providing them with access pin#'s may work but only under ideal situations - but when is an emergency ideal?

ICE4SAFETY will place this info in a revised "How to Program Your Phone" document.

Florida DMV - Complements ICE Preparedness

Florida is ahead of many states in Emergency Preparedness for good reason - they cope with repeated emergencies on a yearly basis. You will find local government websites dedicating considerable space to getting citizens prepared for - in their case - the inevitable storm.....


Florida DMV has a program that allows Florida Drivers License Holders to access their license database online to add/update emergency contact information. In an emergency, police access the DMV Database and retrieve contact info you provided in advance and attempt notifications.


When it comes to being prepared, redundancy is an important word. Would you rely on this totally - no way....there are limitations to everything....but this is an excellent way to take advantage of systems installed and maintained with your tax dollars that can actually work for you.

Are you in Florida? Have a Florida Drivers License? Then Click Here!