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Not so long ago, cell phones were reserved for society’s wealthy and privileged. Yes, carrying around that small suitcase only for the pleasure of spending $.50/minute to call your stock broker or nail salon - that’s what separated the haves from the have-nots.
Thankfully, those days have ended. Everybody and their freakin’ mother has a cell phone these days - and why wouldn’t they? They’re ridiculously cheap to acquire and use (relative to just a few years ago) and even the freebie models come with more features than a stock install of Windows 95™.
But, alas, there are a great many people walking around with their new iPhone waiting patiently in their pocket or purse that aren’t properly equipped to deal with a serious (or borderline emergency) situation! This is why I’ve compiled this list - these are all numbers that are in the phonebook of my RAZR as I write this - and I’ve had to call many of them, especially being a parent of small children.
So, if your cell phone has no other numbers stored in its memory, make sure it has these numbers:
- Local Fire Department - Because you may need them and it may not be enough of an emergency to call 911. Very good for those pesky cat-stuck-in-tree situations
- Local Police Department or Law Enforcement - Same reason as above.
- Nearby Hospital(s) - These are great when a loved one isn’t home hours after they said they’d be. A lot easier to have them preloaded into your phone instead of sifting frantically through the yellow pages!
- ICE (In Case of Emergency) - If you’re ever in an accident and are incapacitated or killed, the authorities who find you will likely look for this entry in your cell phone numbers (and call it). A spouse or relative capable of making decisions on your behalf would be best here.
- Taxi Company Dispatch - Just in case you find yourself stuck on the side of the road (or maybe you’ve had a few drinks). This is especially helpful in the latter situation since you won’t have to sheepishly ask the bartender to call you a cab.
- Water and Power Department - In case your water or power ever get shut off and you’d like to know why (especially if it’s the power and your regular phones don’t work).
- Doctor and/or Pediatrician - Another one for you parents. When little Junior suddenly breaks out in hives and you’d like to speak to somebody (but don’t want to spend the cheddar on the emergency room just yet), this is another one that’s good to have. Also, these can be very difficult to locate in a time of stress, so record it next time you have the chance.
- Poison Control - So, you think you little Timmy might’ve just ingested two big mouthfuls of Pine-Sol? Not sure if you should take him to the hospital or use his sweat to clean the floor? These people generally answer very quickly and are very helpful - a must for the parents.
- Animal Control - This isn’t just for mountain lions and wild bore who show up on your back stoop. Maybe your neighbor’s dog’s brain made a wrong turn at Albuquerque and now he thinks little Maddy is a kabob of some sort. You’ll obviously want the tranquilizer-toting folks in coats to come down and diffuse the situation, pronto.
- Coworker or Boss - Because you don’t want to call the company switchboard to tell them you ran out of gas on the Interstate and managed to wet your pants in the process. Shoot for a direct line or cell phone.
- Your Next-Door Neighbor - Hear about a house fire on the news? Give old Ted next door a ring and have him poke his head out to make sure your house is still standing (and offer to return the favor).
- Tow Truck Company - Preferably one that will drive long distances if need be. Other than that, this one needs no explanation.
- Car Insurance Carrier/Broker - The first people you should call if you’re in an accident (unless somebody is hurt, then you call them second). They’ll tell you want to write down and if you need the police. Another number you don’t want to go fishing through your Costanza Wallet for if you can help it.
- Pizza/Chinese/All-Night Take-out Food - Because once you find a good place that’s open late, that’s a number you keep and call often.
Did I miss any? Are there any numbers you all keep in your cell phones that you’d be lost without? Tell me all about it in the comments…
Technorati Tags: cell phone, emergency, contact, parenting, technology
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67 Responses to “14 Numbers Your Cell Phone Can’t Live Without”
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[…] down and if you need the police. Another number you don’t want … article continues at brett brought to you by insurance and […]
You definitely missed a big one as far as i’m concerned:
Anywhere in the US (and maybe the world? I’m not sure about that though) you can send a text message to 466-45, which is Google SMS. There are a couple of different protocols you can use (described here: http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/ ) but in the long run, you could probably figure out almost all of the above list by just a couple of text messages
That aside, nice list!
[…] sure we can think of 14 more. What are your suggestions? 14 Numbers Your Cell Phone Can’t Live Without - [CrankingWidgets] digg_url = […]
I would add:
- Number to call if credit card is lost/stolen (you want to call immediately)
- Number to call if you need to temporarily increase your credit limit while traveling (may not be the same as above)
- Locksmith / service company on-call number, in case you lock yourself out at night
Credit card company’s number. This is very important…
[…] segnala, inoltre, un post che propone una lista di “numeri di emergenza” più ampia. Viene riproposto […]
[…] was reading a blog article today about important numbers to keep in your cell phone. One stuck out at me and made me […]
If you have a “card “in your wallet/purse (ie Creadit/Debit/Store Charge/Auto etc) then get the lost/stolen numbers. Saves a lot of problems in the long run.
For parents … kids school(s)
In other words, all the numbers that you would have kept stuck to the front of the refrigerator ten years ago…
[…] 31st, 2007 by Todd 1. 15 Steps to Cultivate Lifelong Learning 2. 14 Numbers Your Cellphone Must Have 3. Be a Smart Shopper … Use Frucall 4. Top 50 Frugality Blogs 5. 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 […]
you wrote: “Water and Power Department - In case your water or power ever get shut off and you’d like to know why (especially if it’s the power and your regular phones don’t work)”
Most traditional landlines have their own power. Your house might lose power, but your phone would still work. If there is a electrical town-wide outage then your home would still have a phone that works but your cell phone would not work.
A very good attorney. You never know where you might end up in a twist of fate. Darron. (and no, I am not one).
Why do they have to be phone numbers? We have travel policy numbers on our mobiles.
a bail bondsman?
[…] rescue workers would know who to call. The Cranking Widgets Blog lists that among its 14 essential numbers to keep in your phone. These include local police and fire departments, nearby hospitals, your next-door neighbor, and a […]
Eerie timing for me on this one. Just this morning I witnessed a non-injury accident and fumbled for the right number to call it in. This got me thinking about creating this exact list. I drive through three cities/townships on my commute. I’ll be putting each into my phone. Thank goodness for voice activated dialing!
JR Fent
Recruiter
http://www.jrfent.com
For what it is worth. I am a firefighter/paramedic and (last I heard) we can’t look up the ICE on a person’s phone. Due to Medical Privacy Laws, I can’t tell anyone about your medical condition unless you authorize it. That includes just the fact that you are hurt. Later on at the hospital, if they have no other information to go on as to contacting family, maybe.
[…] 14 Numbers Your Cell Phone Can’t Live Without […]
I’d include 1-800-GOOG-411. Free 411.
Also, I keep my GrandCentral # in there since I can never remember it.
Your Mom or Dad. Just cause you love them.
1-800-free-411
Great for getting numbers on the run.
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Lock Smith Number- If you ever lock your keys in your car, you are not alone. How difficult could it be to get a phone book. Shop around for a reasonable price and save it to your phone. This could save you lots of time.
CT
On the subject of ICE - doesn’t everyone lock their phone with a PIN/password, making ICE pretty much useless? I certainly don’t want all my family phone numbers accessible if someone steals my phone.
On the subject of ICE… I agree with David. Most peoples’ phones are locked (mine is) so it makes it hard to get to the ICE listing.
In response to WBC, wouldn’t you be implying authorisation simply by listing this person in ICE as the one you want to tell about your situation? I know that I would want someone who is on the scene to tell my ICE that (Heaven forbid) something happened to me.
The phone number of your alarm company. Most alarm systems use the phone line when there is a problem, so you can’t call the alarm company to tell them it was just burnt food.
[…] clipped from blog.crankingwidgets.com […]
Do you really lock your phone, I can’t imagine making an item that is only useful due to it’s convenience, less useful by locking it. I’m very surprised that people actually use this feature of their phone. Not a bad idea, just seems like overkill to me.
Escort service…. for those rainy nights
As a nurse with 22 years emergency department experience, let me tell you that if you come in to see us and you are seriously unwell, most staff will not have time to mess about trying to locate the contact list on your mobile phone (if it is still intact). But we always look through your wallet for ID and medical info. So a MUCH better and low tech solution can be found here: http://impactednurse.com/?p=41
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How about your loal weather number to check on bad weather moving in?
Electrition, Plumber, carpenter, Heating/Airconditioning repair, customer service for cell and landline phone, repair for landline phone, Fire insurence agent and or home owners agent, local road condtion number (especialy in winter weaher)
Pharmacy: for when want a refill but don’t want to hunt for the bottle, or your doctor asks for the phone-in #.
Apartment leasing office: ask if you have a package yet, water is leaking, whatever
If you use commercial airlines, always store the reservations number of the airilines you’re traveling in your cellphone. When (not if) your flight is canceled, before you hike all the way back to the ticket counter like the other 145 people on your flight, whip out your phone and call that number. Explain your predicament. This is much faster that standing in line. The last time I did this, I wound up getting a free upgrade to first class and finished rearranging my flight plans while there were still 50 people in front of me.
Not all phones have unlimited or easily-accessed memory. Trim it down a little.
In many places, #1 & #2 are the same.
#3 will annoy the bejesus out of the hospital employees. And if your friends/relatives followed #4, you’ll know anyway (WBC: you don’t have to release details of the condition, but you’re OK in calling an ICE contact, especially if the conscious patient gives you permission to do so. I, too, am a medic/FF, and well-schooled in privacy laws).
#5 is OK if you’re always in the same area, but I don’t mind having a bartender call a cab for me (he’d better not call me a cab, though; I may be big and a little yellow from liver failure but calling me a cab is beyond the line)
#6 if you’re noticing these are broken, you’re at home, so you shoul dhae the numbers on your fridge. Save the cell phone space.
#7 is legit.
#8 is the same nationwide (800-222-1222) but 911 can also connect you
#9 sounds like a 911 emergency to me
#10 is legit
#11 is legit, though a bit of a stretch; I wouldn’t call my neighbor unless I *knew* of an emergency.
#12 is the AAA card in your wallet. Don’t have AAA (or equivalent)? Don’t drive, dumbass.
#13 is also on a card in your wallet
#14 probably the best use of the phone directory altogether.
If you have an auto service like AAA, their number should be in there as well.
Mike wrote: “Most traditional landlines have their own power. Your house might lose power, but your phone would still work.”
What if the phone on your landline is cordless? no power, no phone…
(BTW, i keep a corded phone around just for that reason)
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Having just reunited a lost cell phone that I found on the bus with its owner, I can tell you that the most important number missing from this lady’s memory list was AN ALTERNATIVE NUMBER TO REACH THE OWNER OF THIS CELL PHONE. Perhaps such an entry would say “If this phone is lost and you find it, please call me at nnn-nnn-nnnn and leave a message.” As it was, I had to call some of those other Emergency Contact numbers and tell them the story about how I found the phone. Naturally, nobody recognized the number of this lost cell phone because people dont call numbers anymore, they call names off of lists, or speed dial numbers, or PHOTOGRAPHS. Anything but numbers.
After about an hour, one of the emergency contacts reached the lady who lost the cell phone by calling her at work. Then she called my office. Then we met later in the day to reunite her with her phone.
[…] Having just reunited a lost cell phone that I found on the bus with its owner, I can tell you that the most important number missing from this lady?s memory … Read more […]
What about the number to cancel a credit or bank card? That’s something you want to have on hand when you need it!
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“you wrote: “Water and Power Department - In case your water or power ever get shut off and you’d like to know why (especially if it’s the power and your regular phones don’t work)”
Most traditional landlines have their own power. Your house might lose power, but your phone would still work. If there is a electrical town-wide outage then your home would still have a phone that works but your cell phone would not work.”
Ref. Mike’s comment above: that’s true *as long as you don’t use a cordless phone.* Everyone should have a cheap “regular” phone they can plug in if the power’s off.
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“Mom,” if you have one, is an excellent listing to have!
Before ICE became common knowledge, I left my cell phone in a coffee-house. My mom called me at home to tell me.
The kind, clever clerk who found my phone had the good sense to call the number marked Mom and tell her that he’d found her child’s phone. My mother giggled when he told me how he ended the call:
“By the way,” he asked her, “Whose mom ARE you?”
Had it occurred to me as a single person, I could have had a listing for “home,” and he could have called me himself!
[…] Having just reunited a lost cell phone that I found on the bus with its owner, I can tell you that the most important number missing from this lady?s memory … Read more […]
Insurance Quotes…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…
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Top Ten: Telephone Numbers to Have On Hand…
Whether you have a landline, a VoIP phone, or a cell phone, we have a top ten list of numbers to have very handy–including programmed into your phone if it’s a cell. What’s not on the list that should be?……
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14 Numbers to Program in your cell phone….
I found this post, and thought it’d be useful
http://blog.crankingwidgets.com/2007/07/30/cell-numbers/
……
your state highway patrols current road conditions, great to have on hand when u need it
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