DH is a paramedic in nsw, and he doesn't have any clue how to access people's phones unless it's the way I described and they have ICE contacts setup. I can't speak for police or firies or other states though.
Yes I thought it was to good to be true, hence why I said *apparently*, my guess it was just one of those viral rumours that spread like wildfire on Facebook

It would be handy if the iPhone had something similar to the Samsung!