The ICE number is the brainchild of British paramedic Bob Brotchie, employed by the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust. In the course of his experience, Brothchie had discovered that, though the majority of accident victims carry no next of kin details, over 80% carry a mobile phone. Reflecting on some difficult situations he had dealt with, where victims were unable to speak through injury, it occurred to him that a uniform approach for identifying an emergency contact on a mobile phone would make life easier for everyone. As well as the quick identification of a contact, emergency services could be sure that the number related to a person who the accident victim would want to be contacted in such a situation, someone who could for instance give consent for emergency treatment or provide vital information about an individual’s medical history.