Emergency Contact Information

[derstuka]

I am starting this post because of an serious incident today that happened on a ride (that I was not on) at Big Bear, CA. It is always a good time to evaulate how we do things and possibly what changes we should make.

The topic of the day (thanks Shaynej for bringing it up) is having some form of Emergency Contact Information on your person, and/or a rider who rides with you....just some way that a person can contact your wife/girlfriend/husband/life partner, whatever....just somebody important who can call the shots in your life. For the past year, I have made it a point for those that I ride with to give me their at least 1-2 emergency contacts (2 is better) if they go on a ride with me. It is much easier, and better to be able to call someone that you know right away to get information about you for the emergency crews.....not to mention for one of your fellow riders to be able to contact your family and tell them what hospital that you are in, and whatnot.

Call it ICE (In Case of Emergency), dog tags, ID bracelets, or whatever your fancy. I used to only carry a card in my inside pocket with my emergency info, but I have since purchased something called ResQtag after I saw Shayne wearing it one time. You can purchase two of them for 15-20 bucks. It comes with a sticker to adhere to your helmet which says "emergency info on zipper pull." I used to use a thing called ROAD ID for mtn biking, but lost it a long time ago...i also used to forget to put it on several times. With the ResQTag, I never forget because it is always on my jacket. Bringing a phone is good, but you never know if that phone is going to be damaged in the crash, or if you keep it on the bike, at the bottom of a ravine.....I am saying not to only rely on a phone is all.

My main point is that it is a good idea to either make that everyone in your crew either has emergency info readily available on them, or one or more persons that is trusted maintains all of this info. Imagine you are on a ride (like Shayne was today) and a rider gets sent off in an ambulance, and you know not a single person to contact. True, someone will probably eventually get in contact with your family, or person of importance, but why not make things easier, and possibly help save your life (by putting allergies, blood type, contact info to verify these things) by putting emergency information where it is readily available on your person.

Imagine me riding with you, getting into an accident, and all you can tell the first responders is, "ahhhhhhhh well, they call him derstuka, and he is a mod on VFRW I think. He is also known as Lord of the Hosers...does that help??" The more info that you have the better!

Think about it folks, it is important...

[Joey_Dude]

Wow that ResQtag is a pretty cool product, thanks for the headsup. I think I'm gonna buy that because I do worry sometimes about what happens if I ever crash.

Another tip, if you bring your phone see if you can store it underseat or in your tank bag instead of in your jacket. The reason is that if you end up doing a high/low side chances are you might break your phone when hitting the pavement. And losing your phone can really suck now that you have no way to getting help.

[shaynej]

reposted:

Granted, the ICE method on your cell phone is a GREAT IDEA! But STILL write the information down for your wallet, or resqtag, give it to the group organizer, etc. Quite a few of the mountain areas I travel to have little to no cell phone range. Heck, one of the mountains has a 40 mile stretch with ZERO BARS! Nope, I can't hear you now. But have a back up plan. If your cellphone is disabled (ie. wet, smashed, dead battery, so forth) then you're back to square one.

1. CELL PHONE - save under contact ICE - HOME and ICE - CELL. Try posting a picture to your phone to save as a screen saver that has this same information.

2. WALLET - take a post-it and write your emergency contact information (I like two people), then secure it to the back of your driver's license.

3. JACKET/HELMET INFO - as Bailey mentioned, post the info in a place that will be QUICKLY seen by EMS. Sticker on the helmet, resQtag on zipper pull, dog tags (I would stay away from the digital dog tags, or at least check with EMS in your area if they are able to download your data on scene.)

4. LIST OF EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO - when in a group, make sure there is two copies of a ride roster sheet. Two emergency contacts with phone numbers. Make sure lead rider has one, and sweeper (tail) rider has one. If you prefer not to give out this info fine, just make sure you have it on your person so it is accessable.

I know this is a difficult topic to converse about. But after experiencing the CONSEQUENCES of not having this information this morning it made me think to post this up in hopes of avoiding anyone having the same experience.

And if you KNOW you have this information with you, pull it out and check it. When was the last time you did that? Are these people still your contacts? Have their phone numbers changed?

[shaynej]

Regarding ResQtag...

Website Link

it's funny Jason, this morning when we headed out I kept looking in the rear view mirror. I had a feeling you were lurking on some overpass... kinda like...

A NINJA...

[two4one]

Thanks for the links and info!

The more I ride the more I'm starting to consider the "little things" like this that could save a lot of time during an emergency and/or hassle for my loved ones. Comes with age I guess? I also started carrying my phone inside my jacket pocket at all times should I be the one at the bottom of the ravine. What good is my phone going to do if I'm nowhere near my tankbag and unable to move?

One of the track org's on the east coast requried you to fill out an emergency contact sheet which attached to your helmet. I've since replaced the helmet and haven't ridden with this group again. Guess I need some tags?

[two4one]

One other thing Derstuka, I want a picture of the stand-up wheelie after standing on the seat. That avatar does us no good!

[derstuka]

Originally Posted by shaynej

Regarding ResQtag...

Website Link

it's funny Jason, this morning when we headed out I kept looking in the rear view mirror. I had a feeling you were lurking on some overpass... kinda like...

A NINJA...

Think of me like MadMax (after his family was killed, and he was pissed off) hiding and waiting on an overpass, behind a tree, behind a building......hiding and waiting, for the right moment to strike.....or not....you will never know when a is watching you....be afraid, be very very afraid.....

lol

[Vlad Impaler]

Good post 'stuka.

I've been doing this for years. I have a dog tag from one of those engravers you see in the lobby of Wal-Mart or a pet store. It is zip tied to the main zipper pull on my Roadcrafter jacket.

It has:

My name
E-contact name and phone
Allergies
Blood type

I spoke to an EMT friend at work and a local fire hall and asked them whet should be on there. This was the consensus.

[TOE CUTTER]

Very good post. I would like to also suggest that if you are with friends and if at all possible do not call a wife on the phone.The panic that can follow may be worse than what caused the call to take place.I have been through this in the last year and if you can go and tell them in person, and drive them to the hospital and care for them that is what I would suggest.Last emergency this was what happened and it was a good thing as my friends wife REALLY did not take it well and could not and should not have been driving herself or children.

[tcarroll]

On this website you can print emergency medical identification cards for free.
You can put your blood type, allergies etc.
As well as contacts of course.
Laminate and put in your wallet.
Free (ICE) In Case of Emergency Medic Alert Wallet Card

[Nungboy]

Gotta be prepared!
Thanks, Dive Bomber!

[derstuka]

Originally Posted by two4one

One other thing Derstuka, I want a picture of the stand-up wheelie after standing on the seat. That avatar does us no good!

Sorry bud....this is what happened a split second after that picture was taken.....(musta been that bean burrito at lunch!)

COUNT DOWN, THREE, TWO, ONE.....LIFTOFF!!!!!

[Joey_Dude]

LOL funny!!

P.S. Um, don't we all find it odd we're taking safety advice from this guy?

[Scubalong]

Originally Posted by Joey_Dude

LOL funny!!

P.S. Um, don't we all find it odd we're taking safety advice from this guy?

Joey
I would not listen to Derstuka if I were you..........LOL

[LimeTime]

I saw in a JC Whitney ( I know junk mail) but they have a rescue facts that fastens to your chin strap would not be missed by first EMT on site.
I think I got my first useful junk mail.

[crustyrider]

Originally Posted by Joey_Dude

LOL funny!!

P.S. Um, don't we all find it odd we're taking safety advice from this guy?

its the do as I say not as I do syndrome

Good Idea Stuka....we kinda have the same problem with my other hobby.....
Imagine a guy laying on the ground with a concussion ald you ask him his name, and he says its Hrothgar the Slayer of saxons. and then you ask him what day it is and he says its 1055 and he was ok just lewt him drink more "Odins blood" and he'll be fine..........I guess my point is to have the contact info with real names.........Thanks Stuka

Can a Data base be set up here to house all of the contact info?

Just wondering

Crusty/Dave

[RedRover5683]

In my opinion, it is a good idea to keep your cell phone (as well as your wallet, etc.) on your person at all times, rather than stowed somewhere on the motorcycle. In the event of an accident, it's quite possible that you could find yourself far away from your bike, particularly if you suffer a high-side crash in which you're flung off the bike. You go one way, and the bike goes another way, possibly over a cliff, or into a river, etc. Bye-bye cell phone.

Moreover, if you initially survive an accident and you're still conscious enough to think of trying to call for help on your cell phone (assuming that you have a cell phone signal) but you're seriously injured and your phone was stowed somewhere on your bike rather than on your person, what are the odds that you'd be able to get to the bike, find the phone, and then try to call for help?

Bad places to keep your cell phone when riding include tank bag, luggage cases, beneath the seat, etc. In my opinion, one should assume the worst in the event of a crash, that being that the bike will end up far out of your reach in the event of a crash.

Even if you end up within 50' of the bike after a crash in a remote area and you're alone, if you have broken bones, internal injuries, etc., and you're rapidly going into shock, you'd probably wish that you'd kept your cell phone in a jacket pocket rather than on the bike. This seems like a no-brainer to me.

If you disagree with me and you believe that your cell phone should be stored somewhere on your motorcycle rather than on your person, do you also believe that the best place to stow your wallet, driver license, dog tags, medical ID, etc. is somewhere on your motorcycle (perhaps beneath the seat?) rather than on your person? Why would you regard your cell phone with any less importance in the event of a crash? Yeah, the phone you've stored in your inner riding-jacket pocket could get smashed in the event of a crash, but if that happens you may be in a very bad way regardless.

Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your cell phone is programmed for the 'Find my Location' setting so that if you go down in the middle of nowhere while riding alone, and you're stranded and/or you're seriously injured, your cell phone provider will be able to triangulate and pinpoint your last known position on the globe. If your phone is still working when they conduct this search, would you rather that your phone (if its still working) be on your person, or on your bike, which could be over a cliff or in a lake or river? (Some of you may recall a thread here, posted many months ago, in which a VFR rider went down and his bike ended up in a river. He was riding with friends, he was not seriously injured, and he posted some photos. Does anyone here recall that thread?)

[vfrchick]

I ordered my ResQtags and they came yesterday. I got the double-pack... one for my winter jacket and one for my summer jacket. They were easy to fill out and easy to put on the jacket pulls.

I usually keep my cell phone in my tank bag, but I think I will now keep it in my jacket pocket... perhaps the breast pocket so it has a better chance of a soft landing...

Thanks for the post Jason!! I knew when I saw you with yours and asked you about it, it was something I needed to get!!

[vfrhusband]

I still have a dog tag in my boot laces, old habits and all. got "A-Pos" in paint marker on my boot as well as on the chin of my lid. My old spotter went as far as a "meat tag" tattooed on his rib cage with an "SS" for scout/sniper. Kris dosent go as far as me, but I did ad a little something to her new paint on the wind screen.

[Derek Ashley]

I keep one of these home made cards in my wallet...just in case I hope I never need it. I made the graphic myself (I have a bit of experience in this) and laminated it with clear packing tape. ICE on the El Cheapo!

But there is no contact information on it, just my name and blood type, and the blood part is pretty important!

Let's hope none of us need to use our ICE Information.

[Derek Ashley]

Originally Posted by vfrhusband

I still have a dog tag in my boot laces, old habits and all. got "A-Pos" in paint marker on my boot as well as on the chin of my lid. My old spotter went as far as a "meat tag" tattooed on his rib cage with an "SS" for scout/sniper. Kris dosent go as far as me, but I did ad a little something to her new paint on the wind screen.

I have an old friend who did the EXACT same thing. Very hard core. Bravo!

[diVeFR]

This is a great topic. As an EMT I've been to few accidents that the person wasn't conscious or coherant enough to answer questions. I on the other hand do keep my cell phone in my tankbag...but its teathered to my waist so if I go it comes with. The only disadvantage that I have with this is when I get off the bike and forget to unhook. Im so OCD about hooking it up when I get back on. (I think of it like extended ATGATT) I also have something called Instant Clot in my tank bag. Its pretty spendy about 25$ for a bandage but it works great. My wallet with all my medical info is in my jacket pocket. On a point that Toe brought up about calling/meeting the significant other. Getting the loved one and driving them to the hospital is a great idea. It does provide less stress for the loved one and there is a friendly face to be there to lean on. On the other hand if your not near home don't delay the call to long. I would rather call my friends girl or visa versa and tell them their has been an accident. The hospital will eventually find out who the victim is and they will make the call. Rather a friendly voice on the line who will keep the loved one informed than someone who has no relation what so ever to the person. I hope that made sense. On that note, ride safe everybody.

[34468 Randy]

When EHS call my supplied emergency number, they always get put on hold or the party answering says they don't know me. Kinda sucks you know.

"He's not dead? Then why are you calling? Don't you know Dancing with the Stars is one right now!"

[SLOav8r]

It's a good idea to keep your DMV information updated to. While law enforcement won't just give people info over the phone, you can easily call them with the license plate number and tell them there was an incident and notifications need to be made to the family.

[PyroMcnoob]

this post is invaluable

Everyone should have emergency info on their person... Consider it part of ATGATT... I have a buddy who is an EMT, and he's always tellin' me horror stories about guys that suffered longer than necessary because they couldn't get the required info for treatment...

even something as simple as blood type somewhere visible on ur gear can save time... and those ResQtags are effin' neat! I'll be orderin' mine in the next week, before I do any other canyon runs or other adventures...

As always, Rubber Side Down wouldn't want that to be you ;)

[PyroMcnoob]

Originally Posted by PyroMcnoob

those ResQtags are effin' neat! I'll be orderin' mine in the next week, before I do any other canyon runs or other adventures...

As always, Rubber Side Down wouldn't want that to be you ;)

Hate to quote mahself... But I did in fact order my resQtags today...