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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Securing ICE Info on USB Drives

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USB Drives are touted as being one way to carry your emergency information with you if you need to "bug out" in a major storm or disaster. ICE4SAFETY has created an ICE Tool Box Talk™ on this topic. If you look to the picture above you will see a representative example of what you can do to list your family names on a USB using folders. You can simply use files if you prefer or are using this device solo.
List NAME/PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION/AGE. Make sure you have a File named READ ME FIRST. Keep your message here simple, to the point and in large type as to what information is where and any other special instructions. (K.I.S.S.)

Note the security icon at lower left....this will allow you to partition off a segment of your flash drive to store secure information that is only available to someone having a password. You will find this feature on the name brand USB Portable Drives like Verbatim, SanDisk, Sony, or the high security military drives that have a data destruct feature. Civilians can purchase these but they cost between $150-$350 so we will discuss them later.

You can purchase a 1-2 Gigabyte Drive for about $20 on sale. Plenty of room to include Video/Pictures/Critical Info Form(s) and Inventory files as well. Stay away from the free drives passed out at shows as you have no way of knowing where they were made and if they will work. Also remember - REDUNDANCY...... These drives can break so don't bet the farm on them. You also might purchase a waterproof version if you can afford one (IronKey makes one). If not, place the drive in a sealed waterproof container or vacuum seal it. Tape the cap on securely and have a backup of the info on other protected media such as a CD left in a media/burglar safe or Safe Deposit Box.

Note: computer media is compromised at 125°F but paper will char at 350°F - a "fire safe" is rated to protect paper and is not the same as "media safe".....don't make that mistake. You can buy combo versions from Amsec or Gardall.

ICE4SAFETY has provided the information on how to do this yourself and the tools (except for the USB Drive) to do it yourself. You can use a label maker to mark the drive "ICE" if you don't have an ICE Sticker. The security screen from a Verbatim USB Portable Drive is pictured below. As you can see it prompts you for your password and allows you to determine how much of the drive you want protected from others. It even allows you to place a memory clue on the drive in case you forget your password. Simple. Have this ready if you must leave in a hurry. Have a backup and practice REDUNDANCY. DIY is Simple.

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ICE4SAFETYWEB/VerbatimUSBSecurityScreenPic.JPG

Tue, February 26, 2008 | link

Monday, February 25, 2008

ICE4SAFETY Tool Box Talks

Making sure that we support your community based efforts, ICE4SAFETY will also be supplying you regularly published ICE Tool Box Talks™ that will be poster sized and an easy read of important information and safety/preparedness tips.
As always these tools are free.
If you would like to see a particular topic covered for your group, or if you would like to be a contributing writer, please just drop ICE4SAFETY™ a quick email.

Mon, February 25, 2008 | link

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Success with ICE

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There has been a large outpouring of support and a flurry of anecdotal stories about how certain organizations and communities have adopted the ICE concept across the country. In response to that, ICE4SAFETY™ would like to announce that we are supplying a ICE Success Story™ Template on the DIY page so you or your organization/business can let others know about your success.

You can include photos of promotional events, tell a real life story or recognize a business that helped support your local efforts . We will post them on the web for you if you like and you don't have to use your full names or towns if you feel uncomfortable. We can even take excerpts out for the next ICE E-NEWS™ Newsletter.

As always, the best and most meaningful things in life have all proven to be FREE and those that you do yourself.

Wed, February 20, 2008 | link

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Don't Forget Your Pet!

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If you plan on having emergency supplies on hand for a few days to offset an emergency - or you plan on leaving town.

Make sure you have a go bag for your pet. You may want to mark the location and number of animals you have if a fire hits. Firefighters are pretty experienced at rescuing these precious pets as well.

In many disaster areas you will find abandoned pets in all conditions roaming around and in some cases creating dangerous conditions for rescuers. If they expire it creates potential health hazards as well.

We could go on at length about the need for people to be responsible pet owners and maybe we all know someone who might not be. Also a consideration for yourself if there are dangerous dogs in your community and a storm or disaster hits and they are then free to roam. This situation could complicate your relocation or survival efforts, especially if you are injured.

In this happy case above, the Sentinel-Broward Fire Rescue team got this little pup out from a burning building. Good going.

Learn about being a responsible dog or pet owner:

www.responsiblepetowners.org

http://www.dogsaver.org/caninecrusaders/responsible.htm

http://www.akc.org/public_education/responsible_dog_owner.cfm

Sun, February 10, 2008 | link

Saturday, February 9, 2008

ICE in Your Vehicle

If you are in an accident or taken ill and police/fire are on scene, the opportunity to find your emergency info may rely on you having placed it noticeably in the vehicle glove box.

If your vehicle needs to be towed, then an inventory search for safekeeping purposes is SOP and one place that always get checked is the glove-box!

You can secure the ICE Cards and your Emergency Info Form there in either a clear marked pouch or a medicine vial. The vial will fly out unless you tape it down or use double sided tape on the bottom. There is no reason you couldn't affix an ICE Sticker to the outside of your vehicle or on the front of your rear view mirror so you don't violate V&T Law. You can get the clear vinyl card holders from an office supply store near you. Position the card holders in front of the drawer (unlike the picture) so they don't get covered with all the usual clutter.

If you use the VersaCard and cut out the top and bottom sections you will have a large 2" x 2" ICE Image in plain sight. Most family vehicle owners would balk at the sticker being on the outside of the dash area, but business trucks, 4WD, snowmobiles or fleet vehicles to name a few could benefit. This is just getting to be so simple...

We will be working on solutions for pets as well....hey, they are like children for many people so let's not ignore their needs - they are your responsibility.

Sat, February 9, 2008 | link

Thursday, February 7, 2008

ICE4SAFETY Tools Featured in CNN.com Article 2-7-08

Click on CNN Logo to review a critical series of articles by Elizabeth Cohen on CNN Health.

Thu, February 7, 2008 | link

Monday, February 4, 2008

Critical Info Form - Beta Version Unveiled 2-4-08

This form is a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet with 7 individual worksheets that allows users the flexibility to record financial, medical, property, contact, important documents, personal and immunization info all in one document that you can customize easily.

The information you store on this form can mean the difference between spending weeks, months or years getting your life back together after a disaster. Proving your valuables existed for insurance purposes is a tedious and frustrating task - without records and photos - even worse.

Recreating licenses and proving who you are or that you possessed certain licenses or documents essential to your financial future is also fraught with problems.....and you will be in line with others no doubt - many others - most without proof of anything.

So spend the time NOW and complete the exercise in getting yourself together. If asituation arises where you must leave wherever you are in a big hurry or say your home burns down....the info stored with you in a USB Drive or CD off-site can help.
You can update at will and save as the date is refreshed whenever you open/save the document. You don't have to pay anyone else to do this - you can now do it yourself (DIY). If you have any difficulty with this tool, just let us know.
We worked it through some examples and each page format was checked so it printed out in standard 8.5 x 11 sheets.
You will need access to a digital scanner that can convert your documents to files digitally and you will create a folder to store any inventory pictures you may take. You can hyper-link the property info to the picture for instant viewing if you like.   The format is straightforward so more people can use it easily. If you scan receipts for important items they can go into the folder as well.

For a quick evacuation, store this info on a CD or a USB Portable Drive. If you keep it in a Keysure Box that would be helpful knowing no one else accessed your information. Keep it away from the wrong hands. Don't store this info on your computer either.

Take a good look at it on the DIY Page.....you know you have been saying all along that you have to do this..... so here's your opportunity.

Mon, February 4, 2008 | link

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Phone Programming Updates and Advance Directives

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

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

One key tenant of preparedness is REDUNDANCY.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Document Storage: You can upload a written document to you phone using a phone card adapter or you can record/upload your own voice or video that will allow medical folks in the ER to have a better understanding about your Health Care Proxy/DNR and medical treatment wishes - you will be treated but how that will be decided may rely on proper documents in the hands of those handling your medical care - they do not want to make a mistake - you can count on that. We will research how this plays out legally...while it may prove convenient in the absence of a certified document or live representative, the legality may is unknown right now.

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

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

Sun, February 3, 2008 | link

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Advance Directives - A Very Important Part of Preparedness!

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One very important and often very sensitive subject is planning what medical treatment you want to receive in the event that an injury or debilitating illness renders you unable to communicate your wishes.

One part of your preparedness plan and practice would be for you to seriously consider learning about and constructing what is referred to in legal terms as an Advance Directive. They come in several forms and address different legal aspects of your medical care and who will be making decisions on your behalf.

You may have heard of a Living Will - Health Care Proxy - Health Care Power of Attorney - Do Not Resuscitate Order. Depending on what state you are in, the meaning of these terms and the legal options available to you may vary.

There are many good reasons to have these Advance Directives completed and available in the event tragedy strikes. No one can predict when we will fall ill or be involved in an accident - no matter how safe WE are there could always be something or someone out there that can change our lives forever.

You will find a number of links below to websites that are sponsored by professional organizations whose members deal specifically with these matters on a daily basis. We ask that you take the time to read the thankfully short but informative references here.

While you can find software that will help you construct the necessary document, there is plenty of information in the links below that can help you do the same. You may also consider contacting your local bar association for the name of an attorney that specializes in this area. Your local hospital is sure to have some forms available either online or at the hospital. The state health department also has pertinent information in many languages as well.

If you can download and save the completed form - all the better because you will be able to print out several copies or include it in your important document files taken with you or provided to others for safekeeping. One link directs you to a service that maintains your living will and sends it to the hospital for you....worth looking in to and they have additional info as well per state.

It is as much about your receiving the kind of treatment you want or is best for you as it is about consideration for those who will be acting for you and their knowing what your wishes truly are.

New York State Health Department - Health Care Proxy in NY
University of Michigan Health System - Advance Directives

Ohio State Bar Bar Association - DNR Info

National Hospice Association

Society of Critical Care Medicine

National Cancer Institute - Advance Directives

Family Doctor.Org - DNR/Advance Directives

US Living Will Registry - Advance Directive Forms

Sat, February 2, 2008 | link

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Please check out the original ICE4SAFETY Blog that is still located at www.ICE4SAFETY.BLOGSPOT.COM plenty of information since May 2007!