ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. -- Three simple letters, ICE. Adding them to the contact list on your cell phone could be a big help to you in the event of an emergency.

"Right now, we need to know what's going on with the patient. It's a big help for us," said Steve Dziura of the Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Short for "in case of emergency," ICE is a codename EMS crews are trained to look for if you are unable to communicate with them when they arrive on scene.

"Any major accident where you weren't able to talk to us. You were rendered unconscious, we may look for an ICE contact to help us get some health history so we can treat you appropriately," Dziura.

Though the idea has been around for about a year or so, Dziura says he's never found anyone with ICE on their phone, at the scene of an accident. He says most people might not know about the codename, but it's a good idea to add it to your phone because that's the name response teams will be looking for from the start.

"ICE is really convenient because we assume that that's the person that would know the most about you, that you designated to help us in the event of an emergency," said Dziura.

An easy add to your cell phone, but hopefully something you'll never need to use.

For more information about the ICE program, visit www.ice4safety.com.