In its two years of existence, Apple's iPhone has sold more than 21 million units. This summer's release of the iPhone 3GS should boost that total considerably. That's a lot of Americans with a lot of communications capability in their hands--and a lot of communications capability EMS could be taking greater advantage of.

To help it do that, meet smart-ICE, a first-of-its-kind iPhone app that advances the concept of ICE ("In Case of Emergency" information kept on cell phones) into the next generation.

The brainchild of a 30-year fire/EMS veteran, smart-ICE has several key functions:

• Storage of personal and medical information, including medications, allergies, past conditions, etc.
• An alert feature that sounds a PASS-type tone every two minutes after calling 9-1-1. If a caller is incapacitated, this calls the attention of responders to the iPhone and its relevant information.
• Passcode wallpaper that can contain custom messages for emergencies. An owner who locks their phone can use this feature if they’re incapacitated to direct responders to an emergency contact who can tell them the owner's passcode, allowing the responders to unlock the iPhone and access its information.
• Emergency contact dialing through a tab within the app.

"I think," says creator Tim Green, formerly an EMS director in Ohio, "it has just about everything an EMS provider could need to help treat a person."

Green conceived smart-ICE last year following a serious medical event with his wife. Good care led to a positive outcome for her, but in the moment of a loved one's near-death emergency, even a longtime EMSer like Green had trouble recalling her complete set of medical details.

"You spend 30 years in fire and EMS, and think you've seen it all," Green notes. "But it's a lot different when you're working on a member of your own family. Once I got to the ED that day, they were asking me questions like when her surgery was and what medications she was on. I'd get close, but couldn't remember everything exactly, and I realized the need for having that information available."

Green subsequently teamed with a nephew who had the needed technological expertise, and they developed the app, originally known as EMS Alert. They created a company to market it, EMS Options, and rolled it out in May.