Each spring, Daylight Saving Time is a reminder to reset clocks and to double check safety devices like smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Cell phones are no exception. U.S. Cellular recommends updating emergency contacts in your phone and using your phone to reset clocks throughout the house, office and cars.
“In Case of Emergency,” or ICE contacts in your cell phone are one of the first resources that emergency personnel use to get in touch with the family of a person during an emergency. Having one or more ICE numbers stored in your cell phone helps emergency workers contact family members and/or loved ones quickly and could even be lifesaving.
“Use Daylight Saving Time as a reminder to add or update new primary ICE contact information,” said Jack Brundige, U.S. Cellular’s director of sales for Tennessee. “Updating ICE contacts provides added security and peace of mind.”
ICE information should be entered into each family member’s mobile phone contacts/address book. If the cell phone user is under 18, the ICE contact should be a parent or guardian authorized to make decisions on the individual’s behalf.
U.S. Cellular offers the following tips on using ICE to protect you and your family. While the hope is that you never need emergency help, if you do, it’s important to have ICE numbers in your phone.
Access the address book or contacts feature of the cell phone.
Enter the word “ICE” plus a name or title, such as Sheila or Mom.
Enter the phone number of the person that should be contacted in case of emergency.
You can have multiple ICE entries in your phone, such as ICE Mom or ICE Doc. You can also number the ICE contacts in the order they should be reached such as ICE1 Mom, ICE2 Dad and ICE3 Grandma.
Another helpful feature for wireless customers is using their cell phone to set clocks one hour forward precisely. The change in time occurs at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 14.
U.S. Cellular uses Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology to set the time on its network, which is then transferred to customer cell phones. At 2 a.m., the network adjusts the wireless phone’s clock to standard time automatically to make each phone an accurate reflection of the current local time.
“Referring to your cell phone on the morning of Mar. 14 will give you the correct time as you change your clocks throughout the house, in your car or at the office on Monday,” added Brundige.
