The nation's local police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians now have an important new asset on their belt ... the mobile phone. ICE First, a software application that allows users to store and retrieve their medical, insurance and emergency contact information on mobile devices, is now being offered free to active first responders around the country.

"ICE First was developed with the help of first responders. They know the importance of having emergency medical and contact information readily available," said Keith Buckley, president and CEO of Juke Systems Inc., the company that created ICE First. "Now that ICE First is commercially available, we've decided to offer it free to first responders so they can help spread the word and encourage others to carry this potentially life-saving information on mobile phones."

The mobile phone has become an indispensable tool for thousands of police, firefighters and EMTs, and having their own emergency medical and contact information readily available on their mobile phone will help them and their families feel safer and more secure. ICE First(TM) has taken a simple idea - In Case of Emergency contact information - and developed a more robust version for today's technology rich mobile devices. In fact, Juke Systems consulted with a number of emergency medical personnel from around the country in developing the service before launching ICE First last month.

"We've taken a potentially life-saving idea, applied our proprietary technology, and developed a mobile phone- and Web-based software application that harnesses and capitalizes on mobile technology to store and automatically update emergency contact and medical information," explained Buckley. "ICE First is an invaluable tool for everyone who owns a mobile phone. And it's an essential tool for personal emergency preparedness."

By registering at www.icefirst.com/firstresponders.html and providing some simple contact information, active police, firefighters and EMTs will be able to download ICE First onto their mobile phones and establish the connection to the www.icefirst.com database.

"We've also made it possible for EMTs and other nonprofit organizations to raise money by offering ICE First directly to the public through various fund raising initiatives," said Buckley. Juke Systems is willing to donate as much as 20 percent of the first year's fee for every subscription sold by the fund raising group. Organizations looking to take advantage of this program should contact Juke Systems at info@jukesystems.com or call 203-656-3545.

ICE First provides a central storage area for medical information and emergency contacts that first responders will have with them at all times. The application provides an over-the-air updating system that synchronizes the handset application with a Web database allowing users to securely upload information from their computers to their mobile devices. By using ICE First, emergency contact, medical and insurance information, as well as a list of prescriptions, allergies and preferred care givers will be readily available at the touch of a button on most mobile phones.

ICE First provides a password-protected Web site (www.icefirst.com) that can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet allowing users to easily update information from a full keyboard vs. inputting the data on their mobile device.

ICE First, which has patents pending, is available now and can only be purchased through the www.icefirst.com Web site. ICE First is a subscription service that costs $9.95 for the downloadable software and first year's use of the Web interface. After the first year, subscribers will be notified about an annual renewal fee of $4.95 which allows continued access to the Web site for data entry and software upgrades. ICE First works on almost any current generation mobile phone and smartphone with wireless services from Sprint, Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon and others. For additional information, please visit www.icefirst.com.