How to Keep From Losing or Destroying Your Smartphone

Posted in College, How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan by Laura Greenwald

How to Keep From Losing or Destroying Your Smartphone

Whether your smartphone is just a phone to you or a little mobile assistant that holds all of your most critical information, you’ll probably agree that losing your phone would be a major pain.

Cell phones and smartphones are basically our links to the outside world. It wasn’t as much of a problem a few years ago to lose one, because we all had landlines, or office phones, or jobs that actually didn’t depend on constant access to email, voicemail and the internet. But now, losing, dropping or otherwise destroying your phone is tantamount to putting yourself temporarily out of order!

Here are a few ways to keep from losing or destroying your phone.

Zomm, The Digital Leash For Your Smartphone

The two things we love most about smartphones are the two things that make them most vulnerable. They’re small and mobile. How many times a day do you see someone walking around holding their phone in their hand? They’re not talking or texting, they’re just holding it. Until they go to pick up something else. Then they put it down. And walk away… Without it. Not that you would ever do something like that, right?

Fortunately, now there is a way for your phone to tell you where it is! It’s called Zomm. Zomm is a poker chip-sized device that’s a virtual leash for your cell phone. All you do is put your Zomm on your keychain and if you go more than ten feet away from your phone – or if it “wanders” ten feet away from you – it lets out a loud alert to remind you to go back and grab it ASAP. It’s also great if someone helps themselves to your phone! Kind of like giving your phone a way to call for help.

And that’s not all Zomm can do. With the Zomm car kit, it also becomes a hands-free speakerphone and an emergency panic button. Just a push of the button summons 911 or a pre-programmed emergency number like your spouse or your friend.

Find My iPhone or iPad App

With Find My iPhone, one of Apple’s most popular apps, if you misplace your iPhone or iPad, you can send a signal to your misplaced device, to have it send out a signal so you can locate it, the moment you realize it’s missing. With the GPS locator built into the app, you can also find the phone via your Mac or iPad. And if the phone has been stolen, the app also includes a way to immediately wipe it of all information and disable it. Crisis averted, thanks to Find My iPhone!

DriFone Smartphone Rescue Dry Case

Have you ever dropped your phone in water? We haven’t, thank goodness, but we sure have a lot of friends who have, and it can be a nightmare! People have as many tricks to dry out a waterlogged phone as there are types of cell phones. But no matter how sure your best friend is that her method works best, there is one tried and true way to bring a drowned phone back to life.

It’s called DriFone (by the makers of Dry All and it’s a special drying case for smartphones that fits most types of popular phones. And even if it doesn’t fit your phone, Dry All has a variety of drying bags filled with patented drying material to bring nearly every wet phone back to life. So if you or your spouse has a tendency to drop phones into water, you should probably keep one or two kits on hand.

Lookout Phone Backup

The Lookout Mobile Security App, which works with Android and BlackBerry smartphones, can help you locate a missing phone via an onscreen map or lock your phone if it’s lost or stolen. You can also use it to back up the contacts on your phone and if you lose your phone or if it crashes, you can simply transfer all of your contacts to your new phone.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our other posts like How To Put An ICE Contact On Your iPhone, or How To ICE Your Samsung Galaxy to learn everything you need to know about ICEing your phone. And while you’re feeling proactive, don’t forget to put ICE Contacts on your spouse’s and kid’s phones too, along with each other’s contact information.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together! We’ll talk later…

Introducing… The ICE My Phone Kit!

Buy Paperback Edition $14.99 Buy Downloadable Edition $5

More Amazing Things You Can Do In 5 Minutes Or Less

How To Set Up An ICE Contact On Your Smartphone

How To Download and Back Up Your Digital Photos

How To Fill Out Your Kid’s Emergency Contact Card

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The Backup Plan 3.0, is filled with quick, easy, 5 minute steps you can take right now, to get everything that’s important to you organized, safe, sound and accessible. Each section covers a different area, from backing up and fixing family photos, home movies and music, to vital documents, medical and financial information and even getting your digital life in order. This special Bonus Edition includes 7 downloadable Bonus Books. Paperback Edition $24.99 Buy now at Amazon.com Downloadable PDF Edition $8.00 Buy Now Read more about it

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10Apr2016

Turn Your Smartphone Into A Mobile Command Center

Posted in College, How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan by Laura Greenwald

Updated On 9/28/21

What if I told you…

…there was one thing that you own and probably have with you right now, that can give you the support, the information and ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are? What is it?

It’s your smartphone.

And with the way the world has been the last few years — from hurricanes to wildfires, tornadoes and oh yeah, COVID — having an tricked out emergency ready phone is the perfect way to keep your family safe and connected no matter WHAT is happening around you.

Our goal for today is simple.

If you had to face a major emergency minutes from now and the only thing you had with you was your smartphone, you should be able to:

Call or communicate with all the people you love within 10 minutes.
Communicate your basic medical information and your emergency contacts to emergency personnel even if you are injured and unable to speak for yourself.
Keep yourself and your family up and running using only the information in your phone until you reach home or your pre-planned evacuation location.
Access all of the emergency forms and plans you created and all of the data, photos, videos, movies and other items you saved and stored while reading our blog.

Now if you’ve been following the blog for any length of time, you’ve probably already created your family action/emergency plans. If not, just click on the links throughout the post so you can catch up.

In a moment we’re going to tell you how to store copies of these forms in your smartphone. If you would also like to have a hard copy of your emergency plans to refer to as well, grab a sturdy three-ring notebook and print out a copy of each of your Action Plans along with any other information that you want to include. Make sure that form or plan has its own tab, so that you can easily find or replace outdated pages. We suggest using a ring binder that has a hard, washable, vinyl cover and pockets to catch papers, maps or any other items that can easily become lost.

https://getyourstufftogether.com/wordpress/

Your ICE Contacts

If you haven’t already finished putting ICE Contacts on your phone and the rest of the family’s phones, do it now. Make sure that your contact and your spouse’s contact contains links to every other family member’s medical information sheet.

The Rest Of The Family

When you created your Family Evacuation Plan, you detailed each family member’s email addresses, text, user names and cell numbers on the plan. Now it’s time to take that one step further by making sure each member of your family’s smartphones have:

Every other family member’s complete contact information, including all social media handles and work/school schedules.
Full contact information for each Out Of Area Contact.
A copy of your Family Evacuation Plan.
The addresses and phone numbers of these two meeting places highlighted in their Contacts.
An extra copy of their emergency wallet cards.

Are you ready to pull it all together? Here’s how to turn your smartphone into your very own Mobile Command Center.

There are three types of information that you might need in an emergency:

#1 Need Actual Forms And Plans

These forms and plans are crucial for emergencies large and small, so you should definitely keep them at your fingertips – or in this case, right on your smartphone. Unless you have Microsoft Word software on your phone, save each of them as PDFs and place them on Dropbox or iCloud or other online file service so that you can open and read them right on your phone.

You may also want to save them directly onto your phone or tablet so that they will be available if your cell phone or Wi-Fi service is down. There are a couple of ways to do this. If you can find the directions on how to save a PDF onto your smartphone from the phone’s manufacturer, just follow those directions.

#2 Need Access To These Forms And Plans

These forms may contain some sensitive information, so instead of saving them directly onto your phone, place them on a secure password protected server or password protected Cloud-based server, like Dropbox, iCloud or Sky Drive and place the link to those folders in a special document or contact on your smartphone. Do not store the password with the link.

One important note: DO NOT put your or your family’s social security numbers in your list of vital information, or in online files or folders, no matter how secure they are. If you have to have those numbers with you (and haven’t memorized them), copy the originals and place the copies in a secure safe deposit box instead. If you need that information during an emergency or evacuation, wait to retrieve it until you can access it on your computer or portable hard drive in your secure location.

#3 Need Access To This Archived Data

Since you’ve already saved all of these important keepsakes and documents to your portable hard drives, online file folders and placed backup copies in your safe deposit boxes, they should be very easy for you to access even if you are in your evacuation location, right?

That’s what we thought!

If you’ve chosen to save these keepsakes on a secure password protected server or password protected Cloud-based server, like Dropbox, iCloud or One Drive and place the link to those folders in a special contact on your smartphone. That way if you want to pull up some photos, or music, just make sure that everything is safe, you can just click the link on your smartphone and you’ll have all the access you need.

And once your phone is ready to keep you safe, remember to keep it safe with a sturdy (and beautiful!) new case like this one, or this one.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our other posts like How To Put An ICE Contact On Your iPhone, or How To ICE Your Samsung Galaxy to learn everything you need to know about ICEing your phone. And while you’re feeling proactive, don’t forget to put ICE Contacts on your spouse’s and kid’s phones too, along with each other’s contact information.

High Tech Toys

Here are the coolest ways we can find to keep everyone you love safe and connected. Smart phones, smart watches, smart flash drives that beam data where you need it and a car accessory that diagnoses your engine on the go. You’re welcome.

Anker PowerConf Bluetooth Speakerphone

Apple Air Pods

Apple Watch Series 3

Apple/iTunes Gift Card

Autobrain GPS Tracker for Vehicles

Iridium Extreme Satellite Phone

Iridium GO! Satellite Phone Wi-Fi Hotspot

BlueCosmo Inmarsat IsatPhone

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

Samsung Gear Fit2 Smartwatch Large, Black

SanDisk 32GB iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone and iPad

Galaxy Fold Z2

IPhone 12 Pro Max

IPhone SE

IPod Touch

Jitterbug Flip Phone

The Ridge Slim RFID Front Pocket Wallet

Tulips In The Breeze Smartphone Case

Red Parrot Smartphone Case

The COVID pandemic has created a new list of toys that people can’t do without — including some very cool high-tech solutions to unexpected challenges. Like staying healthy and working from home! Here are some of our favorites.

Cubii Pro Seated Under Desk Elliptical Machine

I’m Smiling On The Inside Face Masks

iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer

iProvèn Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor

KODAK Luma 150 Pocket Projector

No-Touch Door Opener, Button Pusher Tool

Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor

PhoneSoap 3 UV Smartphone Sanitizer

Sony Tie-Clip-Style Omnidirectional Microphone

Total Gym APEX G5 Total Body Strength Training

Zacurate Fingertip Pulse Oximeter

As great as the command center you just created is, we have even more stuff in our book “The ICE My Phone Kit” along with step by step directions for ICEing iPhones, Galaxies, regular androids and even phones that are, shall we say, not all that smart.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

What if I told you, there was something you have with you right now, that can give you the support, information & ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are. What is it? It’s your smartphone! At Your Fingertips is an easy to read, easy to use guide that turns your smartphone into your very own life preserver. Paperback Or Instant Download

Keep Everything You Love Safe | The Book Inspired By The Blog

Keep Everything You Love Safe, is filled with quick, easy, 5 minute steps you can take right now, to get everything that’s important to you organized, safe, sound and accessible. Each section covers a different area, from backing up and fixing family photos, home movies and music, to vital documents, medical and financial information and even getting your digital life in order. Paperback Or Instant Download

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How To Archive Your Digital Photos

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How To Back Up Your Facebook Friends List

Turn Your Smartphone Into A Mobile Command Center

How To Backup Your Music, MP3s And Vinyl Albums

How To Access Your Money No Matter Where You Are

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1Apr2016

Make Your Family Findable – Spring Break Edition!

Posted in College, How To, Life Hacks, Travel Safety by Laura Greenwald

It’s Spring!!!

Finally, right? Even though in most places, it wasn’t a bad winter weather-wise, it’s definitely time to shed the gloves, hats and boots and break out the sandals and spend more time outdoors.

Whether you and your family are getting ready for vacation or sending the kids off on Spring Break, here are a couple of things to add to your smartphone or suitcase before you leave. Don’t worry, they won’t take up much space. And they might just help keep you and your family safe.

Another great way to keep the family safe while away from home, is to make sure they’re findable in five minutes or less. That’s a lesson that Senator Evan Bayh learned the hard way when he and his wife found themselves in Tokyo during the Fukushima earthquake. He was doing press, she was shopping across town and suddenly, they quake struck and they were on their own. Yes he had a staff that was eventually able to reunite them. But if you’re light on staff, here are some great tips to keep tabs no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

Don’t have time to read the whole post? Just right click to download the Make Your Family Findable Shortcut Sheet.

Making Your Family Findable

Smartphones, tablets and notebook computers are a phenomenal way to stay in touch with each other during an emergency. Whether you send an email, text, tweet or Facebook message, you can find out the location and condition of everyone you love in seconds. In a dire emergency, you can even send help, confirm or update emergency plans and even mobilize family and friends to be at the side of someone who’s been injured, using real time information.

Since emergencies are by nature, completely unpredictable, the best way to prepare yourself and your family is to give yourselves as many different avenues of communication as possible. You never know which one will make the difference.

So going back to our example, during earthquakes in Japan, cell phone towers barely worked because of earthquake damage and overloaded networks. But Wi-Fi was up and running. So what kept the Japanese connected with their families and the outside world? Twitter, Facebook, Skype and YouTube! Whether we’re talking about tornadoes in Oklahoma, wildfires in Colorado or Superstorm Sandy, giving yourself and your family options is a smart idea.

Update Your Smartphones

When you created your Family Evacuation Plan (if you haven’t done that yet, go do it now – we’ll wait for you), you listed the phone numbers, email addresses and social media addresses for each family member in your household.

Now we’re going to take that one step further by adding all of that information to each family member’s smartphones. While you’re at it, add new contacts on everyone’s phones for all of your out-of-area emergency contacts.

Direct Messaging

If cell phone service is down and you are unable to text, don’t forget that Twitter and Facebook can also be used to send direct messages. Those are personal messages that only go to the recipient – not broadcast to the whole world. If you don’t know how to send a direct message, here’s a quick tutorial.

First, you need to make sure that every member of your family is following or has “liked” all of the other family members on Twitter and Facebook. That will enable you to direct message each other.

For Twitter, click on Messages, then Direct Messages and then type in @ and the family member’s username. Then type in your message and hit send.
For Facebook, click the little message icon at the top of your page (between the little people and the little earth). Then click Send New Message and type in the name of the recipient or recipients and click send.

When Time Is An Issue…

Using a social media platform like HootSuite.com may help. With HootSuite, you can send a single message that can be posted to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn simultaneously, ensuring that your family or friends would see your message immediately, no matter what site they happen to be on at the moment.

The Value Of A Photo

During the Joplin tornado, even lifelong residents found themselves disoriented when the tornado turned their normal landmarks into kindling.

If your spouse or kids don’t know where they are after an emergency and need help a quick photo texted or uploaded to Instagram or Facebook could help you locate them. This is especially true of GPS enabled phones or photos with geolocation.

Creating A Communications Plan

Once you and your family have updated your phones and completed your evacuation plans, sit down with them to discuss the ways you can use technology to stay in touch with each other during a disaster.

Come up with some sample scenarios; for example, if a disaster were to happen while your family members were at work, at school or running errands during a normal day.

How would you connect with each other?
Would you text each other, or would calling or emailing be faster?
If you have teens or young adults at home, their natural proclivity may be to send out a text or a tweet on Twitter, to update everyone, including you, on their location or situation.

Find out the types of communication everyone prefers and then create an emergency communication plan that makes sense for your family.

What If?

Another great discussion to have with your family, especially with school age children, is what they would do if they had to get a hold of you but the cell phone system was out, or what to do if there was an area-wide blackout. Don’t laugh, that actually happened to us in California!

Kids are so used to technology that they might not have the experience that they need to do things the old school way. The best way to plan is to give yourselves as many ways as possible to stay connected. Then if one or two normal methods are unusable, you’ll all simply turn to a different method to reach each other.

Grab The Sat Phone

If you’re in an area with frequent emergencies like tornadoes or hurricanes, live out in the country or have a family member in a foreign country, consider getting satellite phones.

They work in remote areas where there is no cell phone coverage and when cell towers are down. If you don’t want the expense of a dedicated satellite phone, there are a few devices that turn your smartphone into a satellite phone.

What’s The Code?

Lastly, consider creating a Family Emergency Code or Word. This is a code or word that only you and your immediate family know.

When a family member says it, texts it or emails it to the rest of the family, it signals that they’re in trouble and need help.

It’s only to be used in extreme emergency and means that everyone needs to drop what they’re doing and establish contact with each other, immediately.

Find My Family ASAP

Find My Friends is an iPhone app that is designed to let you know at a glance where your friends are. But you can also use it to immediately locate your children, spouse and loved ones in an emergency.

All your family has to do is allow you access on their phones, and if need be, you can immediately see where everyone is in real time, complete with map and directions.

Now that you know what to do, go download our free shortcut sheet, How To Make Your Family Findable, use it to update your phones, grab your flip flops and sunscreen and you’ll be on your way.

Happy Spring! #springbreak #familyvacation

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together! We’ll talk later…

Introducing… Connected

Introducing Connected

Purchase Connected @ Amazon.com

More Amazing Things You Can Do In 5 Minutes Or Less

How To Download and Back Up Your Digital Photos

How To Fill Out Your Kid’s Emergency Contact Card

_________________________________________________

Connected | The Book Inspired By The Blog.

What if I told you, there was one thing that you own and probably have with you right now, that can give you the support, information & ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are. What is it? It’s your smartphone! Introducing Connected, an easy to read, easy to use guide that gives you everything you need to turn your smartphone into your very own life preserver. Purchase Connected @ Amazon.com

24Mar2016

ICE Contacts Help Save Lives During Terrorist Attacks And Urban Violence

Posted in College, How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan by Laura Greenwald

With urban violence and terrorist attacks at an all-time high, families across the US and around the world are looking for new ways to help keep their children and their loved ones safe.

After attacks in Brussels, Paris and the shootings in San Bernardino, as well as many others in workplaces, on military posts, in schools and theaters, people need quick, easy-to-use solutions to keep the people they love safe and sound.

Every time we watch the news, we can’t help but think that none of the bystanders who were injured, had any idea that they would end up in the hospital that day. And yet here they are, fighting for their lives.

In fact, simply living in a metropolitan area, makes people more at risk for allergies, asthma and other medical conditions that make them even more likely to need specialized care in a medical emergency.

That’s why putting an ICE Contact on your phone, as well as your spouse’s and children’s phones is so critically important.

But as vital as an ICE Contact is, many people simply type in the name of one emergency contact, along with their phone number and stop there.

What they don’t realize is that they are missing out on a real opportunity to let their phone do the talking for them in a medical emergency. Especially when lives could be hanging in the balance.

This is one instance where spending five minutes with your phone truly can save your life. Here are a few resources designed to help keep you and your family safer:

Introducing… The ICE My Phone Kit!

Buy Paperback Edition $14.95 Buy Downloadable Edition $5

How To Put An ICE Contact On Your iPhone

How To Put An ICE Contact On Your Samsung Galaxy

How To Put An ICE Contact On Your Windows Phone

Download The 2 Minute ICE Contact (quick instructions for iPhones)

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together! We’ll talk later…

Bulk orders & customization available. The ICE My Phone Kit is just one of the books in our new Backup Plan Resource Library. They’re the perfect benefit for your employees and customers.

More Amazing Things You Can Do In 5 Minutes Or Less

How To Set Up An ICE Contact On Your Smartphone

How To Download and Back Up Your Digital Photos

How To Fill Out Your Kid’s Emergency Contact Card

_________________________________________________

The Book Inspired By The Blog. The Backup Plan 3.0

Raise Money & Save Lives! Free Customized Editions of our books make a great fundraiser for your organization, company, or an extra stream of income for you.

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17Feb2016

Mobile App Helps Emergency Personnel Treat Patients With Autism

Posted in How To, ICE Contacts by Laura Greenwald

Updated On 3/2/21

ICE4Autism provides person-specific, actionable information for quicker more efficient and effective treatment of individuals with ASD

The successful outcome of any interaction between a subject/casualty and first responders depends, along with other variables, on the emergency response team’s rapid access to critical details about the individual right inside their Galaxy or iPhone. This is particularly true when the person has a unique set of needs about which the first responders may be unaware – such as those associated with autism.

Emergency response personnel are tasked with responding to ALL calls, including those involving individuals with special needs. They are expected to respond not only professionally but compassionately, an expectation that implies a seemingly allusive understanding of person-specific needs and sensitivities.

AUTISM

The Centers for Disease Control describes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as: “developmental disabilities that cause substantial impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests”. Autism is a ‘spectrum disorder’ that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees meaning that no two people with autism are alike. Furthermore, the prevalence of autism is not affected by race, region, or socio-economic status.

Individuals with an ASD often suffer from additional co-morbid diagnoses which may include: allergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, feeding disorders, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders, and more. And, in contrast to physical disabilities, in many cases without explicit knowledge or information, an onlooker will have no idea that a person has autism — and it is, therefore, often referred to as an “invisible disability”.

Since autism was first diagnosed in the U.S. its incidence has climbed from one in 10,000 to one in 68 children making it the country’s single fastest growing developmental disability. As children with autism grow up, they do not “outgrow” their autism, but rather develop, to varying degrees, an array of skills to cope with their unique communication, social and behavioral differences.

FIRST RESPONDERS AND AUTISM

Current statistics estimate that over the next 10 years half a million teens with autism will transition into adulthood. Furthermore, research has shown that individuals with autism are seven to 10 times more likely than their neurotypical peers to interact with first responders. Therefore the probability of interactions between emergency response personnel and those with autism increases with each passing day.

What does this mean in practical terms? Let us consider the following scenario:

A 9-1-1 call comes in that a young adult, 6 foot tall, 250 lb male has been involved in a vehicle vs. pedestrian accident. He is conscious but not responding to the good Samaritans’ questions.

When the first responders arrive, they start by asking the young man his name… no response. They ask him if he is in pain…No response. He becomes agitated and starts flapping his hands rapidly and repetitively.

Has the young man not heard the questions? Does he not understand English? Has the crash caused head trauma resulting in disorientation? Perhaps he is diabetic and low blood sugar is causing his confusion?

What should the first responders do? In the worst case scenario, they are left to guess, make assumptions and precede based on standard operating procedures that may, or may not, be the best course of treatment. Or, in the best case scenario, they have easy and efficient access to the information about the young man that would help them understand his needs and treat him properly.

THE ICE CONCEPT

The “ICE” — In Case of Emergency – concept is the brain-child of Bob Brotchie, a former senior paramedic and current psychotherapy counsellor. A combination of Bob’s professional experience and his own emergency incident, led to his “lightbulb” moment: a uniform method adopted by both the public and first responders for providing and accessing emergency contact information in case of emergency – ICE. The goal was for people to enter their emergency contact(s) information into their mobile phones using the ICE preface thereby informing first responders who to contact.

In 2005, only a few months after Bob first conceived of the idea, ICE went viral. It got the attention of both the general public and of the first responder community. As time passed and mobile technology evolved, so did the use and implementation of ICE on mobile devices. The public’s reliance on smartphones, along with their becoming an essential accessory to be kept on-hand at all times, yielded an array of ICE mobile apps. This 21^st century implementation of the ICE concept broadened its capability and value: in addition to emergency contact information, many of the apps also store a variety of medical history, medications, allergy, insurance and other details that can help first responders in their assessment and treatment of injured, confused or unconscious patients.

Historically, first responders have looked for a wallet card or document in a subject’s wallet; now, with the advent of ICE apps, they have an additional potential resource on the person’s smartphone.

AUTISM, ICE4Autism AND THE EMERGENCY SITUATION

Easy and efficient access to specific information about an autistic person’s communication challenges and needs, their unique behaviors and triggers, sensitivities, allergies, medical information and their emergency contacts can dramatically improve the outcome of any emergency response interaction. ICE4Autism – the only autism-specific in case of emergency (ICE) mobile app – gives people on the spectrum and first responders a practical solution they’ve never had before. Instead of relying on efforts to directly communicate with the person – who may be unconscious, altered and/or have communication challenges – first responders can use ICE4Autism to quickly obtain the person-specific, actionable information they need to treat the individual appropriately.

Returning to our scenario, the ICE4Autism app could inform the responders that yes, in fact, the young man had heard their questions and did understand English, but that he needed a bit more time to process the questions and to respond. They might also learn that no, he does not have diabetes, but that he does have sensory integration dysfunction making the sirens and/or bright lights a contributing factor to his agitation and difficulty focusing. They may be informed that the repetitive hand flapping is a calming mechanism he implements and that they should allow him to continue unless there is a critical reason to make him stop. The app would also tell them how to contact the people who (most likely) know him best, can help with additional information, treatment decisions and, most importantly, can come to his side and provide him with the love and support that everyone needs and benefits from in an emergency.

CONCLUSION

To overcome the unique challenges presented by the increasing incidence of interactions between the first responder and autism communities, both parties benefit from the exploitation of newly-available 21^st century tools. The broad utilization of the ICE4Autism mobile app throughout the autism community will enhance first responders’ abilities to provide needs-aware and person-specific care thereby improving outcomes and quality of care.

Emergency personnel have lauded ICE4Autism for its ease-of-use, practicality and innovation. Individuals on the spectrum have expressed their appreciation for app’s elimination of generalizations and assumptions about people with autism by enabling each person to include his/her unique and specific information. And, in awarding ICE4Autism the “Best of ICE” designation, Bob Brotchie, founder of the ICE concept, described the app as: Affordable, intuitive, respectful – and most of all – of value. ICE4Autism is a game-changer for anyone who has the potential to experience difficulties communicating their needs in the emergency scenario.”

Both first responders and members of the autism community should leverage new technologies and forward-thinking solutions to improve the outcomes of their inevitable interactions with each other. The integration of such tools will enhance the quality of care individuals with autism receive and the ability of first responders to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

MORE INFORMATION:

On the Web: www.ICE4Autism.com

On the App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/ice4autism/id969601780?mt=8

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ice4autism/

On Twitter: @ICE4Autism (https://twitter.com/ICE4Autism)

Wanda Refaely, Founder & Chief ICE Cube:

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

Keep Everything You Love Safe | The Book Inspired By The Blog

Keep The Stuff You Love Safe

How To Save Your Treasured Voice Mail Messages

How To Save Your Home Movies And Videos

How To Archive Your Digital Photos

How To Archive Your Print Photos

How To Make A Home Inventory

How To Get Your Financial Life In Order

How To Preserve Your Family History

How To Back Up Your Facebook Friends List

Turn Your Smartphone Into A Mobile Command Center

How To Backup Your Music, MP3s And Vinyl Albums

How To Access Your Money No Matter Where You Are

29Dec2015

How To Back Up ALL Your Music – Even Vinyl!

Posted in Earthquake, How To, Life Hacks, Music, The Backup Plan, wildfires by Laura Greenwald

Updated 9/28/2021

How much do you LOVE your music?

For most of us, it’s not just a bunch of CDs and MP3s. It’s the soundtrack of our lives. And when you have something that important, you want to make sure that it’s around, safe and sound for a long, long time.

So let’s take a few minutes, grab that music collection of yours and back it up for safekeeping. And who knows? You might even be able to put that amazing vinyl jazz solo you love, on your smartphone!

1. Back Up Your MP3s

Do you have MP3 or other digital music files on your computer, smartphone or other devices?

On your PC or Mac, create a folder called “Backup Music (dd/mm/yy)” using today’s date.

Grab all of your devices and take a few moments to download, send or save all of your MP3s (or other digital music files) to your computer. Then put all of those MP3s into the backup folder.

Locate all of the digital music on your computer’s hard drive. Leaving the originals where they are, make copies of the music folders and place them into the backup folder.

2. Deal With CDs, Cassettes & Vinyl Albums

Gather all your CDs, Vinyl Albums and Cassettes and set them on a nearby table.

Although all of your music is important, some means more to you than others.

Separate your CDs, cassettes and vinyl albums into two piles.

Pile One: Music you love that you want to copy and preserve digitally for safekeeping.
Pile Two: Music that you:
- A) Already have in MP3 format.
- B) Have numerous copies of the album in other locations (double check that this is true).
- C) Simply don’t care about preserving.

Go ahead and put the music in pile two back where you found it.

3. Convert Your CDs to MP3s

Convert the CDs to MP3s using Windows Media Player (for PCs) or Audacity for Mac. Just pop in the CD into your computer, open the software and follow the instructions.

Once they’re ripped, save copies of each album to the regular music folder on your computer and to your new backup folder.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to download your favorite songs to your iPod or smartphone.

4. Convert Your Cassettes & Albums to MP3s

Here are a few easy ways we’ve found to convert your cassettes or albums to MP3s.

There are several vinyl album to MP3 recorders available including the ION Audio Premier LP Turntable Vinyl Record Player. The nice thing about that one is that it converts cassettes and vinyl to CD or to MP3s. And if you only have cassettes to convert, there is the Reshow Cassette Player MP3 Converter.

Once you’ve saved copies of your cassettes and vinyl albums, save them to the regular music folder on your computer, to your new backup folder and don’t forget to put your favorites on your smartphone or MP3 player.

And while you’re at it, how about helping mom, dad, grandma or grandpa preserve their old albums while you’re at it. An MP3 player or new iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy full of their favorite songs would make a GREAT gift!

5. Backing Up Your Music For Safe Keeping

Since we’ve been talking about preserving your music, once you’ve got it all backed up, it only makes sense to keep it safe and sound.

So save a copy of your Backup Music folder onto a flash drive or a portable hard drive and place it in at least two secure, damage-proof locations, away from home for safekeeping.

Here are a few suggestions on places to put it:

In a watertight Plastic Evacuation Bin.
In a safe deposit box in your own city.
In a water/fireproof safe in your own city.
In a safe deposit in a pre-determined evacuation location
In a password protected file on Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive or family web site.

High Tech Toys

Here are some of our favorite high-tech tools and toys to help you get all of your favorite photos, music, home videos, movies – and anything else that can be stored digitally – backed up, stored and accessible. Wherever you are. Whatever is going on around you. 24/7.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020

Anker PowerCore 5000 Portable Charger

Axis Self-Powered Safety Hub

Canon PowerShot Wi-Fi Enabled ELPH 190 Digital Camera

ClearClick Video to Digital Converter

Epson Perfection V600 Photo, Film, & Document Scanner

ez Share WiFi SD Card

Fireproof Document Bags

Sentry Fireproof/Waterproof Lateral File Cabinet

SentrySafe Fireproof and Waterproof Safe

HP Photo Printer All-in-One Wireless Envy 7120

ION Audio Premier LP Turntable Vinyl Record Player

Kodak P570 Personal Photo Scanner

Magnavox VHS to DVD Combo Recorder

Reshow Cassette Player MP3 Converter

Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook

SanDisk 32GB Connect Wireless Stick Flash Drive

SanDisk 32GB iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone and iPad

Sony 4K HD Video Camcorder

Sony HX400V Compact Digital Camera

VuPoint Handheld Magic Wand Portable Scanner

The COVID pandemic has created a new list of toys that people can’t do without — including some very cool high-tech solutions to unexpected challenges. Like staying healthy and working from home! Here are some of our favorites.

Cubii Pro Seated Under Desk Elliptical Machine

I’m Smiling On The Inside Face Masks

iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer

iProvèn Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor

KODAK Luma 150 Pocket Projector

No-Touch Door Opener, Button Pusher Tool

Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor

PhoneSoap 3 UV Smartphone Sanitizer

Sony Tie-Clip-Style Omnidirectional Microphone

Total Gym APEX G5 Total Body Strength Training

Zacurate Fingertip Pulse Oximeter

For a book’s worth of tips and tools on getting your stuff organized, backed up and together, pick up a copy of our books “Back It Up” and “Write It Down” in paperback or via instant download.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

Keep Everything You Love Safe | The Book Inspired By The Blog

Back It Up

I don’t know about you, but the most important keepsakes in our house are our old family photos, followed closely by our home movies and music. But grabbing piles of photo albums and all your picture frames off the walls is pretty hard to do when you’re running out the door! With Back It Up, you’ll learn quick, easy steps to back up your print/digital photos, home movies, music (including vinyl & cassettes) and save them in multiple, disaster proof locations. Paperback Or Instant Download

Keep The Stuff You Love Safe

How To Save Your Treasured Voice Mail Messages

How To Save Your Home Movies And Videos

How To Archive Your Digital Photos

How To Archive Your Print Photos

How To Make A Home Inventory

How To Get Your Financial Life In Order

How To Preserve Your Family History

How To Back Up Your Facebook Friends List

Turn Your Smartphone Into A Mobile Command Center

How To Backup Your Music, MP3s And Vinyl Albums

How To Access Your Money No Matter Where You Are

14Dec2015

The Best Apps For Tornado Season

Posted in How To, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan, Tornadoes by Laura Greenwald

Updated 3/8/21

When someone says “winter weather,” most people think of snow.

But in some areas of the country, particularly the South, winter can be an active time for severe storms and tornadoes. And as we see all the time — like the Alabama and Georgia tornadoes. They don’t even hit during “tornado season”.

In fact, on Dec. 23-24, 2014, 10 tornadoes hit Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia, killing five people and injuring more than 50.

While the chance of tornadoes is significantly lower in the winter than the spring, it’s important to stay prepared for any contingency.

Smartphones and other portable devices have proven to be important tools during spring storm seasons, and they continue to do so all year long. There are plenty of apps available to help during storm season.

One of the most powerful and comprehensive is RadarScope, an app popular with meteorologists. RadarScope is available in a free version, which contains most of the apps features, and a Pro version, which costs $10 per year and provides added forecasting tools.

RadarScope provides a long list of radars, from the standard precipitation to wind velocity radar that can show damaging winds and even rotation that could indicate tornadoes. It includes the new dual polarization radars, new tools that can show possible tornadoes more accurately. With these tools, forecasters can see possible debris balls that could indicate a tornado is on the ground and causing damage.

While RadarScope has powerful tools for forecasters, it’s easy to navigate and can be used by anyone. It also includes weather alerts that will sound if a watch or warning is issued in a chosen area.

WeatherUnderground has another app that can help in a stormy situation. Called Storm, the app is similar to RadarScope, though it lacks some of the radars, such as the dual polarization tools. The Storm app is free, but includes ads. An ad-free subscription is available for $1.99 per year.

This app can show everything from a storm’s track to the lightning it’s producing. It not only has a current radar, it has a future one that can predict where a storm is headed and how intense it will be once it gets there. Storm also can send alerts for favorite locations to the smartphone or tablet whenever a watch or warning is issued for that area.

For those just needing a quick glance at the current conditions, the Wunderground app from Weather Underground can provide that. Some of the information provided includes current temperature, radar, barometric pressure and wind speed, as well as humidity, rain accumulation, visibility and even sunrise and sunset times. The app also provides a forecast and temperature graph for the next five days. Again, the app is free, but an ad-free version costs $1.99 per year.

Finally, check out the area’s local TV station apps, if available. Most television stations have their own news apps, and many have their own weather apps. Some are better than others, but the local apps often can provide everything from timely weather alerts to the ability to stream their live broadcast to see first-hand what’s happening with the weather.

While winter is a slower storm season that other times of the year, it’s by no means absent of severe weather. It’s important to stay vigilant when severe weather is expected. Smartphone apps provide the best weather tools available while on the go. They can help ensure safety during storm season — any time of year.

___________________________________________________________

Melissa L. Jones is a trained storm spotter, photographer and technology review columnist. Her column, “Tech Spotlight,” appears every Monday in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

Ready In 10 | 10 Steps. 10 Days. Ready For Almost Anything.

This cutting-edge system is designed to help you get the information you need, keepsakes you treasure and people you love, through life’s little and not so little disasters. In one piece. So you can get back to living your normal life, as quickly and painlessly as possible. Paperback Or Instant Download

How To Organize Your Digital Life

How To Organize Your Digital Life gives a place to record all of your passwords, account information and even emergency instructions, along with secure ways to access them remotely, putting your social media life and your business life exactly where it belongs. At your fingertips. Paperback Or Instant Download

Keep The Stuff You Love Safe

How To Save Your Treasured Voice Mail Messages

How To Save Your Home Movies And Videos

How To Archive Your Digital Photos

How To Archive Your Print Photos

How To Make A Home Inventory

How To Get Your Financial Life In Order

How To Preserve Your Family History

How To Back Up Your Facebook Friends List

Turn Your Smartphone Into A Mobile Command Center

How To Backup Your Music, MP3s And Vinyl Albums

How To Access Your Money No Matter Where You Are

14Nov2015

How To Make Your ICE Contact Stand Out On A Samsung Galaxy

Posted in College, How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan, Travel Safety by Laura Greenwald

Did you know that your Samsung Galaxy can save your life?

And it’s not just Galaxies but any kind of smartphone, like the Droid Incredible, Windows Phone or even the iPhone 6.

The secret is letting your phone do the talking for you in an emergency. And the way to do that, is with ICE.

But what good is an ICE Contact if the people who need that information immediately, can’t find it?

Let’s make sure no one misses it!

Once you finish setting up your ICE Contacts, (you can find out how to do that right here) make it stand out by using the Add Photo function to upload a graphic like the ones on this page. You can make your own, or download ours from our Free Resources page.

Once you find the graphic you want, choose Save Target As, to save it to your desktop.

Then save or send the graphic to the Photos on your phone.

Open your ICE Contact, Touch the little photo icon, Choose Image, pick the graphic you want and Save.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our other posts including How To Set Up An ICE Contact on your Samsung Galaxy and How To ICE Your iPhone to learn everything you need to know about ICEing your phone. And while you’re feeling proactive, don’t forget to put ICE Contacts on your spouse’s and kid’s phones too, along with each other’s contact information.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together! We’ll talk later…

Introducing… The ICE My Phone Kit!

Buy Paperback Edition $14.99 Buy Downloadable Edition $5

More Amazing Things You Can Do In 5 Minutes Or Less

How To Set Up An ICE Contact On Your Smartphone

How To Download and Back Up Your Digital Photos

How To Fill Out Your Kid’s Emergency Contact Card

_________________________________________________

The Book Inspired By The Blog. The Backup Plan 3.0

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15Oct2015

How To Set Up An ICE Contact On Your Regular Cell Phone

Posted in The Backup Plan by Laura Greenwald

Updated On 3/2/21

Did you know that your Flip Phone can save your life?

How? The secret is letting your phone do the talking for you in an emergency. And the way to do that is with ICE.

Even if it’s not the smartest phone in town, your plain old flip phone can be a real life saver. In fact, it’s just as easy to set up an ICE Contact on a phone that’s not a smartphone. Just keep in mind that every phone is different, so you might have to play around with the contact a bit, to get all the information into it, that you want to include.

What is ICE?

During Hurricane Katrina, so many people were injured, unconscious and separated from their families that emergency workers came up with the idea of putting an ICE – In Case Of Emergency – Contact in their cell phones. Now, when a patient who is unconscious or unable to speak comes into the emergency room, hospitals worldwide check their smartphone for an ICE contact, to help them locate their next of kin. Everyone in your family should have an ICE contact in his or her smartphone. In fact, they should have two just in case the first contact is unavailable. If you have our book The Backup Plan 3.0, you should already have at least one ICE contact. So let’s learn how to set one up on your beloved old cell phone.

Buy Paperback Edition Buy Downloadable Edition

Before You Begin…

…you’d better decide who your ICE Contacts will be.

The first one of course will be your spouse, partner, best friend or close relative. Someone that you want there with you at the hospital or, if need be, making decisions on your behalf. But what if that person is also injured, or is out of town or forgot to charge their phone? Why not choose one or two additional people to be ICE Contacts. Just make sure that they are people who are very close to you, who you know will drop everything to race to your side and handle things until your significant other can be reached.

Ready to set up your first ICE Contact?

Once you decide, Touch the Contacts Icon on your phone to open up your Contacts.

Depending on the type of phone you have, your Contacts Icon might look different than the ones we have here.

Click on Add New to add a new contact and touch the First Name Field. Don’t put the name of your contact in this field, only the word ICE.

Do the same thing for your second ICE contact – then call it ICE2.

Time To Make Your Cell Phone Do Some Heavy Lifting…

Put all the information you possibly can into your two ICE Contacts. For example:

Your emergency contact’s Main Number/Cell number/ Work number, Relationship to you
Email Address & IM, Twitter and Facebook address (in case landlines are down & you need to send an emergency message
Other information, like the days that the contact is at a certain location
Be sure to include every piece of information you can. Why? Because you never know what type of communication will or won’t be working. For instance, after the Japan earthquake, many people were able to reach each other via Twitter or Facebook even though their landline phones and Wi-Fi weren’t working.

What Other Types of Information Should I Put In My ICE Contact?

But what about information that doesn’t fit into the regular contact on your phone? That’s when you turn to your new best friend – the Notes section. Although not every cell phone has a notes section in their Contacts, most do. Notes holds quite a bit of information, so simply put the miscellaneous information you need to communicate, in there.

A list of Allergies, the Medications you’re currently taking, Names and Phone Numbers of your Healthcare Providers and contact information for your Insurance Company. Just make sure you don’t put any member numbers, social security numbers or financial information in your phone. Or, let’s say that two or three lines of Current Medications and Allergies isn’t enough. Then why not create a medical history form for yourself and every member of the family, put it in a password protected online folder, and place the link to it in the Notes section of your ICE Contact. This way a doctor can access your, your spouse’s or your kid’s basic medical history, while you’re en route to the hospital.

If you don’t have your own Medical History Form, go ahead and download ours. Just right click on the link and save it to your desktop. And while you’re at it, you can put medical treatment release forms for your children in the folder as well, and place the links to those forms in their ICE contacts. You can also put in links to a full list of contacts or emergency numbers, or links to your family’s evacuation plan and gathering locations, so that every member of your family always has all the information they need, right at their fingertips.

What About The Rest of The Family?

Every family has one person who keeps everyone else organized. And since you’re reading this post, something tells me it’s probably you! If that’s the case, it’s up to you to ensure every member of your household not only has ICE Contacts set up on his or her phone, but that everyone’s phone contains all of the contact information for every other family member. That way you’ll be able to get in touch with each other as quickly as possible in an emergency. And don’t forget that you can always put an ICE Contact in your family’s iPod Touch or MP3 devices as well. Just because you don’t have a phone with you while you’re running doesn’t mean you can’t stay safe!

Turn Your Phone Into A Mobile Command Center

While you’re at it, you can even turn your phone into a Mobile Command Center. Just store copies of your family’s medical history forms, emergency action plans, checklists and Evacuation Plan, right on your phone and those of each member of your immediate family. And while you have them, don’t forget to put ICE Contacts on their phones as well, including along with each other’s contact information. That way you can all get in touch with each other quickly in an emergency.

And if there’s an iPhone lurking around your family be sure to stop by our post on Setting Up An ICE Contact on Your iPhone. Do yourself a favor. Take five minutes right now to set up your family’s ICE contacts. That way your family will have all the information they need to stay safe and secure, no matter what the situation.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

The ICE My Phone Kit

Did you know your smartphone can save your life? It can also save your spouse’s life, your kid’s lives and the lives of everyone you love! The secret is letting your phone do the talking for you in an emergency. How? With ICE, your in case of emergency contact. In “The ICE My Phone Kit” you’ll find step by step directions for ICEing, iPhones, Galaxies, regular Androids, Windows and even flip phones. Paperback Or Instant Download

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

How To Set Up An ICE Contact On Your Vertu Phone

Posted in How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan, Travel Safety by Laura Greenwald

Updated On 3/1/21

After writing seven books that have kept thousands of families and their keepsakes safe and sound, heading up business continuity planning for the Wealth Management department of a Fortune 500 bank and having been through some pretty hairy situations of our own, my writing partner and I have learned one thing.

You never know when or where you’ll be, when you suddenly need to put your ICE Contact, a backup of your computer data or the emergency number of the US Embassy into action.

For us, showing people how to put ICE Contacts on their phones isn’t the gold standard in keeping your family safe and sound. It’s just the first step in a series of things every person should do.

So in this blog post, even though we’re going to show you how to create an ICE Contact on your smartphone, especially your Vertu phone, we’re also going to give you some tips on staying safe, no matter where your travels take you.

Did you know that your Vertu Phone can save your life?

There is surprisingly little information about one of the world’s most popular and best loved phones, and even less about the fact that the Vertu can actually save your life.

Well, we’re just going to have to take care of that right now.

So what’s the secret? The secret is letting your Vertu do the talking for you in an emergency. And the way to do that is with ICE.

What is ICE?

During Hurricane Katrina, so many people were injured, unconscious and separated from their families that emergency workers came up with the idea of putting an ICE – In Case Of Emergency – Contact in their cell phones. Now, when a patient who is unconscious or unable to speak comes into the emergency room, hospitals worldwide check their smartphone for an ICE contact, to help them locate their next of kin. Everyone in your family should have an ICE contact in his or her smartphone. In fact, they should have two just in case the first contact is unavailable. If you have our book At Your Fingertips, you probably already have an ICE contact on at least one phone in your house.

Ready to set one up on your Vertu?

Before You Begin…

…you’d better decide who your ICE Contacts will be. The first one of course will be your spouse, partner, best friend or close relative. Someone that you want there with you at the hospital or, if need be, making decisions on your behalf. But what if that person is also injured, or is out of town or forgot to charge their phone? Why not choose one additional person to be an ICE Contact – someone very close to you, who you know will drop everything to race to your side and handle things until your significant other can be reached.

In fact, for people who travel a great deal — especially internationally, we recommend that you put four ICE Contacts on your smartphone. The first should be your spouse or significant other, the second a close relative or friend. The third contact should be your attorney or business manager and the fourth, a business partner or colleague who can attend to matters if you are temporarily incapacitated or in a location where telecommunications are down. How can emergency personnel tell which is which? Simple. Just name the first two ICE Medical 1 and 2, then name the others ICE Legal and ICE Business.

How To Set Up Your ICE Contacts

Touch the Contacts Icon on your Vertu to open up your Contacts. Click on the plus sign + to add a new contact and touch the First Name Field. Don’t put the name of your contact in this field, only the word iCE. This is because your phone sorts contacts by their first name by default.

Next, touch the Last Name Field and enter your contact’s full name, ie. John Jones. Now when someone looks at the contact, they’ll see ICE along with your emergency contact’s full name. And do the same thing for your other ICE contacts, which, like we mentioned, you’ll name ICE Medical 2, ICE Legal and ICE Business — or whatever makes sense for your particular situation.

Buy Paperback Edition Buy Downloadable Edition

Time To Make Your Phone Do Some Heavy Lifting…

The best thing about a smartphone is that you can put everything that you need to communicate, right inside this one contact. Here’s the basic information you need to include: Put all the information you possibly can into your ICE Contacts. For example:

Your emergency contact’s Main Number/Cell number/ Work number, Relationship to you
Email Address & IM, Twitter and Facebook address (in case landlines are down & you need to send an emergency message )
Other information, like the days that the contact is at a certain location
Be sure to include every piece of information you can. Why? Because you never know what type of communication will or won’t be working. For instance, after the Japan earthquake, many people were able to reach each other via Twitter or Facebook even though their landline phones and Wi-Fi weren’t working.

Adding And Using Fields

Don’t forget that you can also add fields to your contact to indicate things like relationship or alternate phone numbers or social media handles. Press and hold the field name until the menu appears, then check the boxes next to the field/label you want and clicking OK.

One great field to add is Relationship, to tell emergency personnel who your contact is to you. But what about information that doesn’t fit into a field on your phone? That’s when you turn to your new best friend – the Notes section. Notes holds quite a bit of information, so simply put the miscellaneous information you need to communicate, in there.

What Other Types of Information Should I Put In My ICE Contact?

A list of Allergies, the Medications you’re currently taking, Names and Phone Numbers of your Healthcare Providers and contact information for your Insurance Company. Just make sure you don’t put any member numbers, social security numbers or financial information in your phone. Or, let’s say that two or three lines of Current Medications and Allergies isn’t enough. Then why not create a medical history form for yourself and every member of the family, put it in a password protected online folder, and place the link to it in the Notes section of your ICE Contact. This way a doctor can access your, your spouse’s or your kid’s basic medical history, while you’re en route to the hospital.

If you don’t have your own Medical History Form, go ahead and download ours. Just right click on the link and save it to your desktop. And while you’re at it, you can put medical treatment release forms for your children in the folder as well, and place the links to those forms in their ICE contacts. You can also put in links to a full list of contacts or emergency numbers, or links to your family’s evacuation plan and gathering locations, so that every member of your family always has all the information they need, right at their fingertips.

What About The Rest of The Family?

Every family has one person who keeps everyone else organized. And since you’re reading this post, something tells me it’s probably you! If that’s the case, it’s up to you to ensure every member of your household not only has ICE Contacts set up on his or her phone, but that everyone’s phone contains all of the contact information for every other family member. That way you’ll be able to get in touch with each other as quickly as possible in an emergency. And don’t forget that you can always put an ICE Contact in your family’s iPod Touch or MP3 devices as well. Just because you don’t have a phone with you while you’re running doesn’t mean you can’t stay safe!

Turn Your Phone Into A Mobile Command Center

While you’re at it, you can even turn your phone into a Mobile Command Center. Just store copies of your family’s medical history forms, emergency action plans, checklists and Evacuation Plan, right on your phone and those of each member of your immediate family. And while you have them, don’t forget to put ICE Contacts on their phones as well, including along with each other’s contact information. That way you can all get in touch with each other quickly in an emergency.

And for those iPhones lurking around your family, be sure to stop by our post on Setting Up An ICE Contact on Your iPhone. Do yourself a favor. Take five minutes right now to set up your family’s ICE contacts. That way your family will have all the information they need to stay safe and secure, no matter what the situation.

Now as promised, here are some tips on keeping your family safe and sound, no matter where your travels take you:

Pre-program the emergency number for the country you’ll be visiting into your phone before you leave, along with local numbers for your country’s embassy and any other emergency assistance numbers.
Always leave an assistant, a colleague and your spouse (or if he or she is going with you, a close relative) a copy of your itinerary with local contact numbers. Be sure to send updates if that information changes.
Carry two portable chargers for your smartphone and other electronic devices with you at all times, ensuring that one of them is always completely charged. If cell phone service is spotty in that country, you might also consider purchasing a device that turns your smartphone into a satellite phone, like the Iridium Go Hotspot.
Have your staff scan all of your vital documents, treasured photos (both family and business), keepsakes, awards and anything else that is important to you and place the scans on portable hard drives in at least three secure locations. If you haven’t already done so, place the originals of your vital documents in a waterproof/fireproof location.
Make sure that the members of your immediate family have ICE Contacts on their phones, as well as any electronic devices that they usually carry, such as an iPod Touch or smart watches. And if you want to go one step further, have them place a link to a synopsis of their medical history synopsis into the contact, that an emergency physician can use to treat them until a family member arrives on scene. If you don’t already have your own, you can get medical history forms above or in our book At Your Fingertips.
Make sure that you have your spouse’s emergency information in your phone and vice versa, in case you ever need it quickly.
If your spouse and children are travelling with you in an unfamiliar country, consider downloading the Find My Friends app. All you have to do is add their smartphones to the app and you’ll be able to see exactly where they are, along with directions to their location.
Always give yourself a way out. As much as you appreciate your staff, don’t assume they’ll always be right there to help you deal with an emergency situation. You got where you are today because of your strong skill set in strategic thinking and planning. All you have to do is apply those same skills to ensure that you have the tools you need to deal with any situation that arises.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

The ICE My Phone Kit

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

How To Set Up An ICE Contact On Your Windows Phone

Posted in How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, Travel Safety by Laura Greenwald

Updated On 9/28/21

Did you know that your Windows Phone can save your life?

And it’s not just Windows Phones but any kind of smartphone, even the iPhone! The secret is letting your phone do the talking for you in an emergency. And the way to do that is with ICE.

What is ICE?

During Hurricane Katrina, so many people were injured, unconscious and separated from their families that emergency workers came up with the idea of putting an ICE – In Case Of Emergency – Contact in their cell phones. Now, when a patient who is unconscious or unable to speak comes into the emergency room, hospitals worldwide check their smartphone for an ICE contact, to help them locate their next of kin. Everyone in your family should have an ICE contact in his or her smartphone. In fact, they should have two just in case the first contact is unavailable. If you have our book At Your Fingertips, you should already have at least one ICE contact. So let’s learn how to set one up on your Nokia Lumia, HTC or other Windows Phone.

And with the way the world has been the last few years — from hurricanes to wildfires, tornadoes and oh yeah, COVID — having an ICE contact is the perfect way to keep your family safe and connected no matter WHAT is happening around you.

Before You Begin…

…you’d better decide who your ICE Contacts will be. The first one of course will be your spouse, partner, best friend or close relative. Someone that you want there with you at the hospital or, if need be, making decisions on your behalf. But what if that person is also injured, or is out of town or forgot to charge their phone? Why not choose one additional person to be an ICE Contact – someone very close to you, who you know will drop everything to race to your side and handle things until your significant other can be reached.

Ready to set up your first ICE Contact?

Swipe over to Contacts, Tap New and if prompted, choose which account you want to add this contact to. Touch Name.

Type the word ICE first, followed by your contact’s first and last name. Why do you want to do this? The Windows Phone sorts your contacts by first name, by default. So unless you have changed it to sort by last name, emergency personnel will see the word ICE right away.

Do the same thing for your second ICE contact – then call it ICE2.

Here’s a tip: If your phone sorts by Last Name, you can change it by going into your People Settings and checking “Sort List By” First Name instead of Last Name.

Time To Make Your Windows Phone Do Some Heavy Lifting…

The best thing about a smartphone, (like a Google Pixel) is that you can put everything that you need to communicate, right inside this one contact including:

Your emergency contact’s Main Number/Cell number/ Work number, Relationship to you
Email Address & IM, Twitter and Facebook address (in case landlines are down & you need to send an emergency message )
Other information, like the days that the contact is at a certain location
Be sure to include every piece of information you can. Why? Because you never know what type of communication will or won’t be working. For instance, after the Japan earthquake, many people were only able to reach each other via Twitter or Facebook.

Adding And Using Fields

Like most smartphones, Windows Phones let you change, add or create Fields inside the contact, so that you can customize it as much as you like.

To Add additional fields or information to your contact, Tap Other.

One great field to add is Relationship, to tell emergency personnel who your contact is to you. But what about information that doesn’t fit into a field on your phone? That’s when you turn to your new best friend – the Notes section. Notes holds quite a bit of information, so simply put the miscellaneous information you need to communicate, in there.

What Other Types of Information Should I Put In My ICE Contact?

A list of Allergies, the Medications you’re currently taking, Names and Phone Numbers of your Healthcare Providers and contact information for your Insurance Company. Just make sure you don’t put any member numbers, social security numbers or financial information in your phone. Or, let’s say that two or three lines of Current Medications and Allergies isn’t enough. Then why not create a medical history form for yourself and every member of the family, put it in a password protected online folder, and place the link to it in the Notes section of your ICE Contact. This way a doctor can access your, your spouse’s or your kid’s basic medical history, while you’re en route to the hospital.

If you don’t have your own Medical History Form, go ahead and download ours. Just right click on the link and save it to your desktop. And while you’re at it, you can put medical treatment release forms for your children in the folder as well, and place the links to those forms in their ICE contacts. You can also put in links to a full list of contacts or emergency numbers, or links to your family’s evacuation plan and gathering locations, so that every member of your family always has all the information they need, right at their fingertips.

What About The Rest of The Family?

Every family has one person who keeps everyone else organized. And since you’re reading this post, something tells me it’s probably you! If that’s the case, it’s up to you to ensure every member of your household not only has ICE Contacts set up on his or her phone, but that everyone’s phone contains all of the contact information for every other family member. That way you’ll be able to get in touch with each other as quickly as possible in an emergency. And don’t forget that you can always put an ICE Contact in your family’s iPod Touch or MP3 devices as well. Just because you don’t have a phone with you while you’re running doesn’t mean you can’t stay safe!

What If Your Phone Is Password Locked?

I know what you’re thinking. ICE contacts are great – as long as emergency personnel can actually see my ICE information. But what if you lock your Windows Phone with a password? Believe it or not, in many cities emergency workers aren’t allowed to break into a password protected mobile phone, even in an emergency. Which means that having an ICE contact on a password protected phone is useless, right?

Wrong!

All you have to do is add your ICE information directly to your Lock Screen. Then all an emergency worker has to do is glance at your phone to find your ICE information.

Every Windows Phone is a little different, but here’s how to do it on a Windows Phone 8:

In the App list, tap Settings (looks like a gear) and choose Lock Screen. Expand the application bar on the bottom of the screen. Under Notifications, choose Lock Screen Text as the app to show detailed status and touch the back button.

Type “ICE Contact Information” in the text box, along with your contact’s name, relationship and phone numbers. Fit in whatever you can. Touch the check mark to accept the change. If necessary, check Done to save your changes.

Now your ICE information will appear right on your Lock Screen, no password needed. Problem solved!

Turn Your Phone Into A Mobile Command Center

While you’re at it, you can even turn your phone into a Mobile Command Center. Just store copies of your family’s medical history forms, emergency action plans, checklists and Evacuation Plan, right on your phone and those of each member of your immediate family. And while you have them, don’t forget to put ICE Contacts on their phones as well, including along with each other’s contact information. That way you can all get in touch with each other quickly in an emergency.

And when your phone is ready to keep you safe, remember to keep it safe with a sturdy (and beautiful!) new case like this one, or this one.

And if there’s an iPhone lurking around your family be sure to stop by our post on Setting Up An ICE Contact on Your iPhone. Do yourself a favor. Take five minutes right now to set up your family’s ICE contacts. That way your family will have all the information they need to stay safe and secure, no matter what the situation.

High Tech Toys

Here are the coolest ways we can find to keep everyone you love safe and connected. Smart phones, smart watches, smart flash drives that beam data where you need it and a car accessory that diagnoses your engine on the go. You’re welcome.

The COVID pandemic has created a new list of toys that people can’t do without — including some very cool high-tech solutions to unexpected challenges. Like staying healthy and working from home! Here are some of our favorites.

As great as the ICE Contact you just created is, we have a high-powered, fully loaded version in our book “The ICE My Phone Kit” along with step by step directions for ICEing iPhones, Galaxies, regular androids and even phones that are, shall we say, not all that smart.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

The ICE My Phone Kit

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

As Amazon Associates we earn commissions from qualifying purchases made from product links.

3Sep2015

How To Turn Your Smartphone Into A Life Preserver

Posted in How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan by Laura Greenwald

How To Turn Your Smartphone Into A Life Preserver in 1 Easy Step…

Buy Paperback Edition $14.99 Buy Downloadable Edition $5

Did you know your smartphone can save your life? It can also save your spouse’s life, your kid’s lives and the lives of everyone you love!

The secret is letting your phone do the talking for you in an emergency.

How?

By taking a couple of minutes to ICE it, with your in case of emergency contact. And it’s even better when you add an emergency wallet card, medical information forms and a plan for tracking down & gathering every member of even the busiest of families, in five minutes flat. All of which you’ll find in the ICE My Phone Kit.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves… First things first.

So, what is an ICE Contact?

During the London Bombings and Hurricane Katrina, so many people were injured and separated from their families that a London paramedic named Bob Brotchie came up with the idea of telling people to put an iCE – In Case of Emergency – contact on their cell phones. Now, hospitals worldwide, check patient’s phones for their iCE contact, to locate their next of kin.

Why is it important to have one?

The most important reason every member of your family should have an ICE Contact on his or her phone, is because you can’t be everywhere, all the time.

There’s always one person in every family who keeps everyone else going. The person who can recite every illness and prescription drug his or her kids, spouse and dogs have ever had. Since you’re the one who’s reading this article, I’m going to take a wild guess — it’s probably you.

But when your family is at work, or school or at different activities all over town there’s NO way that you can be with them every second of every day. But you CAN tuck all of that information into an ICE Contact on their cell phone, so a doctor or an emergency room can use it to take care of them, until you get there.

Every year more than one million people enter the ER unconscious or unable to give the hospital their vital information. On average it takes hospitals over 6 hours to find a patient’s vital information, and that’s if they have the patient’s name. But when you have an ICE Contact on your cell phone and an emergency card in your wallet, you’re not only giving them all the info they need to contact the people you love, you’re also giving them all the information they need to treat you with your specific medical needs in mind.

So What Is The ICE My Phone Kit?

The ICE My Phone Kit is an easy to read, easy to use guide that contains everything you need to turn your smartphone into your family’s very own life preserver. In it you’ll learn…

How to put an ICE Contact on every major type of phone, the right way. And it only takes a couple of minutes
What information you need to put in your family’s ICE Contacts, so doctors can start giving them the right kind of treatment before you even get to the hospital
How to create ICE Contacts that work even if you password protect your phone
Learn how to create a Family Emergency Plan and how to track down & gather every member of even the busiest of families, in five minutes flat.
It also contains free downloadable medical information forms, family gathering/evacuation plan and emergency wallet cards you can use for each member of the family.
Comes with ICE Graphics you can place on your phone to make your ICE Contact stand out
And most importantly, you’ll learn how to turn your phone into a mobile command center – or if you’d rather, your very own Bat Phone.

The Backup Plan ICE My Phone Kit, now in paperback. Only $14.99 at Amazon.com Downloadable PDF Edition $5.00 Buy Now Grab your copies today.

We also offer bulk discounts and customization for organizations, companies and schools. For large orders or customization click here to contact our sales team.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together! We’ll talk later…

Introducing… Connected

Introducing Connected

Purchase Connected @ Amazon.com

More Amazing Things You Can Do In 5 Minutes Or Less

How To Download and Back Up Your Digital Photos

How To Fill Out Your Kid’s Emergency Contact Card

_________________________________________________

Connected | The Book Inspired By The Blog.

10Jul2015

The Two Things You Should NEVER put in your ICE Contact

Posted in College, How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks by Laura Greenwald

Updated On 3/1/21

Everyone is always telling you what you need to put into your ICE Contact, but it amazes us that they never mention what NOT to put into it.

Maybe they just don’t know… So I guess it’s up to us to set the record straight.

# 1

Never, never, never put your Social Security Number in the ICE Contact on or iPhone or Galaxy. Or in your iPhone or Android. Or in your wallet or any place else where you could misplace it, lose it or where others can see it.

A hospital will either wait for your family to bring it in or can get it from an old record or other legal source. So just leave it where it is, hopefully in a nice secure place at home, like a locked safe.

#2

Your insurance member number. Too much personal information is linked to that number to toss it into your phone. In fact if you have Medicare, your Medicare Member Number is usually based on your Social Security Number. If you want to include the name of your insurance company in your ICE Contact, that’s fine, but the actual member numbers or other information can wait until your family has arrived or you have regained consciousness.

Repeat After Me.

Social Security Cards and Insurance Member Numbers belong in a nice secure place at home. That place does not include my phone, my ICE Contact or my wallet. They only time these cards should EVER leave the house is when I’m going to a brand new doctor or to the hospital under my own power, after which they shall return back home to their safe, secure place as quickly as possible.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our other posts like How To Put An ICE Contact On Your iPhone, or How To ICE Your Samsung Galaxy to learn everything you need to know about ICEing your phone. And while you’re feeling proactive, don’t forget to put ICE Contacts on your spouse’s and kid’s phones too, along with each other’s contact information.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

The ICE My Phone Kit

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

How to Keep From Losing or Destroying Your Smartphone

Whether your smartphone is just a phone to you or a little mobile assistant that holds all of your most critical information, you’ll probably agree that losing your phone would be a major pain.

Here are a few ways to keep from losing or destroying your phone.

Zomm, The Digital Leash For Your Smartphone

And that’s not all Zomm can do. With the Zomm car kit, it also becomes a hands-free speakerphone and an emergency panic button. Just a push of the button summons 911 or a pre-programmed emergency number like your spouse or your friend.

Find My iPhone or iPad App

DriFone Smartphone Rescue Dry Case

Lookout Phone Backup

Introducing… The ICE My Phone Kit!

More Amazing Things You Can Do In 5 Minutes Or Less

The Book Inspired By The Blog. The Backup Plan 3.0

Bulk orders & customization available for your company/organization. Contact us for more details.

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Updated On 9/28/21

What if I told you…

…there was one thing that you own and probably have with you right now, that can give you the support, the information and ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are? What is it?

It’s your smartphone.

And with the way the world has been the last few years — from hurricanes to wildfires, tornadoes and oh yeah, COVID — having an tricked out emergency ready phone is the perfect way to keep your family safe and connected no matter WHAT is happening around you.

Our goal for today is simple.

If you had to face a major emergency minutes from now and the only thing you had with you was your smartphone, you should be able to:

Call or communicate with all the people you love within 10 minutes.

Communicate your basic medical information and your emergency contacts to emergency personnel even if you are injured and unable to speak for yourself.

Keep yourself and your family up and running using only the information in your phone until you reach home or your pre-planned evacuation location.

Access all of the emergency forms and plans you created and all of the data, photos, videos, movies and other items you saved and stored while reading our blog.

Now if you’ve been following the blog for any length of time, you’ve probably already created your family action/emergency plans. If not, just click on the links throughout the post so you can catch up.

Your ICE Contacts

If you haven’t already finished putting ICE Contacts on your phone and the rest of the family’s phones, do it now. Make sure that your contact and your spouse’s contact contains links to every other family member’s medical information sheet.

The Rest Of The Family

When you created your Family Evacuation Plan, you detailed each family member’s email addresses, text, user names and cell numbers on the plan. Now it’s time to take that one step further by making sure each member of your family’s smartphones have:

Every other family member’s complete contact information, including all social media handles and work/school schedules.

Full contact information for each Out Of Area Contact.

A copy of your Family Evacuation Plan.

The addresses and phone numbers of these two meeting places highlighted in their Contacts.

An extra copy of their emergency wallet cards.

Are you ready to pull it all together? Here’s how to turn your smartphone into your very own Mobile Command Center.

There are three types of information that you might need in an emergency:

#1 Need Actual Forms And Plans

#2 Need Access To These Forms And Plans

#3 Need Access To This Archived Data

Since you’ve already saved all of these important keepsakes and documents to your portable hard drives, online file folders and placed backup copies in your safe deposit boxes, they should be very easy for you to access even if you are in your evacuation location, right?

That’s what we thought!

And once your phone is ready to keep you safe, remember to keep it safe with a sturdy (and beautiful!) new case like this one, or this one.

High Tech Toys

Here are the coolest ways we can find to keep everyone you love safe and connected. Smart phones, smart watches, smart flash drives that beam data where you need it and a car accessory that diagnoses your engine on the go. You’re welcome.

The COVID pandemic has created a new list of toys that people can’t do without — including some very cool high-tech solutions to unexpected challenges. Like staying healthy and working from home! Here are some of our favorites.

As great as the command center you just created is, we have even more stuff in our book “The ICE My Phone Kit” along with step by step directions for ICEing iPhones, Galaxies, regular androids and even phones that are, shall we say, not all that smart.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

Keep Everything You Love Safe | The Book Inspired By The Blog

Keep The Stuff You Love Safe

As Amazon Associates we earn commissions from qualifying purchases made from product links.

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It’s Spring!!!

Finally, right? Even though in most places, it wasn’t a bad winter weather-wise, it’s definitely time to shed the gloves, hats and boots and break out the sandals and spend more time outdoors.

Whether you and your family are getting ready for vacation or sending the kids off on Spring Break, here are a couple of things to add to your smartphone or suitcase before you leave. Don’t worry, they won’t take up much space. And they might just help keep you and your family safe.

Don’t have time to read the whole post? Just right click to download the Make Your Family Findable Shortcut Sheet.

Making Your Family Findable

Since emergencies are by nature, completely unpredictable, the best way to prepare yourself and your family is to give yourselves as many different avenues of communication as possible. You never know which one will make the difference.

Update Your Smartphones

When you created your Family Evacuation Plan (if you haven’t done that yet, go do it now – we’ll wait for you), you listed the phone numbers, email addresses and social media addresses for each family member in your household.

Now we’re going to take that one step further by adding all of that information to each family member’s smartphones. While you’re at it, add new contacts on everyone’s phones for all of your out-of-area emergency contacts.

Direct Messaging

First, you need to make sure that every member of your family is following or has “liked” all of the other family members on Twitter and Facebook. That will enable you to direct message each other.

For Twitter, click on Messages, then Direct Messages and then type in @ and the family member’s username. Then type in your message and hit send.

For Facebook, click the little message icon at the top of your page (between the little people and the little earth). Then click Send New Message and type in the name of the recipient or recipients and click send.

When Time Is An Issue…

The Value Of A Photo

During the Joplin tornado, even lifelong residents found themselves disoriented when the tornado turned their normal landmarks into kindling.

If your spouse or kids don’t know where they are after an emergency and need help a quick photo texted or uploaded to Instagram or Facebook could help you locate them. This is especially true of GPS enabled phones or photos with geolocation.