IPE - Inclusive Preparedness Equipment

Learn how the ICEBUDDY System's design meets the needs of the disenfranchised.  Designs that create inclusive preparedness equipment for everyday use and  emergency situations

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Speaker 1 0:00

Thank you for joining us for another ICEBUDDY System podcast. What is I.P. E.? It stands for Inclusive Preparedness Equipment meaning equipment deliberately designed to be used not only by the able bodied, but also by segments of the population that are often disenfranchised. This includes people with a variety of physical disabilities and the elderly. We have explained many times that our corporate mission is to Save Lives. That mission is reflected in the design of our products and is what sets them apart from anything you may find available. My years as a First Responder serving the needs of a diverse population shined a light on the deficiencies apparent in the emergency preparedness equipment available to citizens and First Responders. I raised these issues continuously to those tasked with making sure the best equipment was available, but nothing changed. So I decided to be the change agent and took it upon myself to design the ICEBUDDY System, which has won National Awards and International Recognition. Coming from a military family, I take the commitment to leave no man behind seriously. I have heard the term collateral damage bantered about two cavalierly in after action meetings when discussing suffering, distress, injury, and sometimes death resulting when segments of our population do not have access to equipment that will increase their chance of survival. I can't fix all the problems, but I designed the ICEBUDDY System to address many of the needs experienced by the disenfranchised. I want to enumerate in this podcast the unique design and function elements of the ICEBUDDY System. This is not just any cooler and backpack. It is customized to transform from something you can use as you go about your everyday life activities into a piece of equipment that you can use and First Responders can provide when disaster strikes. No one knows the day and hour that can happen. Neither do we know what form it might take, be it a power outage, hurricane, or any other type of catastrophe. Since there are more of you than First Responders, everyone must take responsibility to have everything possible to react and respond quickly. The ICEBUDDY System is just that a system. It has parts that were designed specifically to come together and provide a greater and more comprehensive degree of protection than any segment of the system can do on its own . But to provide some protection is better than providing none. So each component of the ICEBUDDY System was also created to function independently and still address unmet needs. I'm going to describe each component separately.

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In closing, I will explain what additional unmet needs are addressed when it is used as a complete system. First, the ICEBUDDY QOOLER. The heart of the ICEBUDDY System meets the following needs. 1. Persons using any of the over 100 medications requiring refrigeration are left out when the power goes off. The ice-less QOOLER is constructed to maintain the required internal temperature of 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit for 72 hours. That's three days without needing gel packs, electricity or solar. Those who have limited manual dexterity will discover the innovatively designed handle allows individuals to use the heel of their hand to turn the top one quarter inch to open and access their medication. The QOOLER doesn't stop there. We recognize that many medications require they be taken with food, so it has a built in removable food grade dish. After all, if you have to evacuate, who remembers to bring the dishes with them? The body of the QOOLER not only maintains the proper temperature for medication, but also for perishable food.

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The lid

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Of the QOOLER has a lip area

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Where you

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Write with permanent marker. Any identifying information about what's contained within or to whom it belongs. No need for an unreliable luggage tag that can come off.

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2. First Responders can use the QOOLER to transport critical life saving medication that requires constant refrigeration easily when trying to reach stranded individuals or servicing them in shelters. 3. The QOOLER is also Kosher and Halal certified. No longer do people who are Orthodox need to experience the added stress of not having food and dishes available to them that are required by their religious covenants. Next, the ICEBUDDY QPACK is constructed to meet military specifications and meets the following needs. The QPACK comes in six different colors. This allows families to color code which QPACK belongs to each person. It allows First Responders to prepack the bags and color code the contents of each. This is especially useful when the people you are serving do not speak your language. Individual QPACKs could contain items only for infants, women, men, et cetera . Using a color chart and picture those being served would be able to point to the color bags that they understand contain items they need. Color is a universal language that needs to be used more to enhance communication cross culturally. 2., The QPACK has a soft, ergonomically designed handle and multiple strap configurations that make it usable by young children as well as adults. The straps were specially configured to allow the QPACK to be used not only by the able bodied, but also uniquely by those using wheelchairs and walkers. 3. Our government responds to disaster by bringing to the scene water in any of the following manners. They arrive in freezer trucks to dispense seven to 10 pound bags of ice or truckloads of 16 and a half ounce bottles of water or water tankers requiring persons to bring jugs, pales, or other sundry containers to transport it back to where they are staying. The problem is that citizens never know what form this help will take, so they are unprepared to accept it. Having seen that time and again, I designed the QPACK to receive any of these forms of assistance. It has the necessary interior liners to receive 120 ounces of liquid from a tanker over a dozen water bottles and a special liner to receive a 10 pound bag of ice. The liner is attached to a spigot so that when the ice melts, none of the life saving water generated is lost. Now, when used together as a system that QOOLER and QPACK meet these additional needs. 1. The QPACK was designed to expand, allowing it to transport the QOOLER in the upper compartment, enabling you to now have medicine, food, water, and necessary supplies in one compact product. 2. The system is ideal for use in evacuation shelters. Displaced citizens can be provided an ICEBUDDY System to enable them to have everything they need at their assigned cot . 3. The ICEBUDDY System can be transported not only on a person's back, wheelchair and walker, but also can be airlifted and dropped on pallets in hard to reach locations. This makes the emergency response effort more effective and quicker, thereby Saving Lives. The ICEBUDDY System is not only for humans, but was created to also save pets. Many segments of the population have service animals that must accompany them at all times. Those animals as well as household pets need their own ICEBUDDY System pre-packed and ready to go in a moment's notice. I have highlighted only a few of the ways the ICEBUDDY System can improve emergency response to disasters. This is just our flagship product. More will be coming out that address the unmet needs of additional segments of our population. ICEBUDDY Systems Inc. Is your emergency preparedness company. We listen to what you tell us is needed. Then we create innovative designs that meet your needs. That is why we love hearing from you. Feel free to write us at info@icebuddy.net . Remember, the ICEBUDDY System allows you to Keep Cool and Carry On with COLD on the GO.