ID Myth Busting
Hospitals:
It is very important to know, hospitals are in the business of making
you better... not calling your sister in Nebraska.
Police:
Unlike on TV, it is not the police who come calling if there
has been a fatality. It is the coroners office or local
medical examiner. Many times, the only information they have
to work with, is the name and address on your drivers
license. On average, they will need to visit 2.3 addresses
before they can track down someone appropriate to notify of
a death.
Ambulance Service:
The job of an EMT is to get you to the hospital as quickly
as possible. They will stabilize you and let the hospital
know as much as possible before you arrive.
Myth Busting about your ID:
Although most of the time, you will be able to speak for yourself and
call your wife at work or your mother in St. Louis, there is always the
possibility you may not. EverybodySafe was built for those times. In just
about every Emergency Room, there is at least once a day when EverybodySafe
is needed. Imagine some possibilities....
Scenario 1:
It is 7:30 in the morning and you are heading to work.
Halfway between home and the office, someone runs a red light and hits
you hard as you pass through the intersection. The ambulance comes and
takes you to the hospital. All they grab is your wallet that they found
on the seat next to you.
Drivers License: The drivers license is the most common
form of ID used to make an identification. It has your
photo, name, address, date of birth, height, weight and if
you are an organ donor. It does not have any information
about where you work, who your husband is, where he works,
it has no phone numbers and certainly not any cell phone
numbers. Additionally, if this is all the emergency room has
to know who you are, all they can do is go to the phone
book. Let's hope you are listed and someone is home!
Scenario 2:
You are on vacation in the Bahamas and are
having a grand old time lounging poolside, basking in the
warm Caribbean sun and stuffing yourself on fried conch and
fries. Your wife is off to do a day of shopping in town and
you decide this is a good time to learn to jet ski. You rent
the sleekest you can find from one of those rental places
who frequent the beach offering lessons and rentals.. you
are shown the basics and pointed to the waves. You are
thrown and bump your head on the reef... off to the hospital
with you! Good thing you gave the rental hut your wallet and
passport to lock up while you are out!
Passport: While traveling, a passport is a must! They are
a wealth of information too. Right down to the "in case of
emergency" you remembered to write in the back. Too bad it
was your wife and her office phone back in New York! At the
hospital in another country is the ultimate black hole of
information about YOU. A passport is the best the hospital
could hope for to know who you are... but they can not send
someone to your house. With any luck and a few days, they
may be able to track down that little slip of paper you
filled out on the plane letting the visa office know where
you are staying. Either that, or they can start to call
around to all the big resorts and hopefully that is where
you are staying. Either way, being in another country is NOT
where you want to be alone and out of touch with your
family!
Scenario 3:
With the record price of gas these days, you
decide this is a good time to start taking the train to the
city. It has been a couple of weeks now and you are starting
to get the hang of this. You even begin to enjoy the walking
around the city and feel like you are single-handedly
helping end global warming! You do not quite have the hang of
it yet though, you make the mistake of stepping out in the
crosswalk and did not see that crazy cab driver turning the
curb in a hurry. Ouch! Off to the hospital with you! Good
thing you have your cell phone in your pocket!
Cell Phone: Miraculously, your cell phone was not too
damaged. Guess it was shielded by your spiffy messenger
laptop bag. Good thing this is your personal cell and it is
not password protected. You have 150 contacts in there... the
hospital will find the right person to call. After all, my
drivers license does not have any phone numbers on it. Too
bad your husband is listed as "John" and not Husband! And
you have him as the 3rd person on your speed dial. Don't
worry, the hospital will still get to him eventually. May
take them the whole day before they do. They may have to
call 10 people first before they get a hold of him... but
eventually they will. Now... what if your phone were broken,
not with you or password protected?
The Los Angeles Fire Department, although occasionally
using cell phones as a means of identification have observed
some draw backs that often make it not the best form of
notifying someone's next of kin....
- Identification is more likely to be used by hospitals
instead of paramedics. Unfortunately, hospitals generally
do not have the time nor go through the personal affects of
their patients. Their cell phones will more than likely be
separated from the owner. The hospital staff will however
grab the wallet or ID and give that to the admissions clerk.
- Cell phones have no immediate means of linking them to
their owners. Unlike a photo ID, there is no picture to say
this little blue phone belongs to that guy there.
-
With so many types and brands of wireless phones, it
is often hard for emergency personnel to easily locate the
address book. Even if they do, with so many contacts and
variations on how they are entered, it is often difficult to
figure out who to call.
- The LAFD has also commented publicly that a cell phone
does NOT replace more traditional and reliable forms of
identification for emergency contacts. They state.. "Many
wireless devices are often found to be locked, damaged or
have discharged batteries following an accident, rendering
them useless for identification."
Scenario 4:
Your son is off to make his dreams come true.
He is off to college. After much thought, he has decided
that a state school five hours from home is the one for him.
While at school, he does what all new college boys do... he
goes to a party! While there, he has a little too much to
drink and falls from the 2nd floor balcony. All he had on
him was his student ID.
Student ID: With a student ID, the local hospital will
call the university... They will get the message on Monday.
After that, they will call the home number listed on the
emergency contact form. You may not have known in hours, but
did you did know in days! Good thing he had that Student ID
on him; If all he had was a drivers license or was in
another city visiting "friends", it would have been a lot
longer than days before you knew.
Scenario 5:
You are on your own in a new city. You have new coworkers and a few
friends. ANYTHING happens to you.
Any form of ID: You live alone, the drivers license and
even your home phone number are no help. Your parents live
in another state. How does the hospital, state police or
even your new friends know who they are? How do they know
where you work? Even if they do know, does your boss know
your mom's name, address or phone number? If you live alone, EverybodySafe.com is not an option, it is a MUST!
Now imagine any one of the
thousands of other scenarios where EverybodySafe could be the difference
between letting those you care about know in hours instead of weeks!