What is the definition of an emergency in the General Mobile Radio Service? Why is this definition important to licensees?
FCC R&R 95.143: “Managing a GMRS system in an emergency. (a) The stations in a GMRS system must cease transmitting when the station operator of any station on the same channel is communicating an emergency message (concerning the immediate protection of property or the safety of someone’s life). (b) If necessary to communicate an emergency message from a station in a GMRS system, the licensee may permit: (1) Anyone to be the station operator and (2) The station operator to communicate the emergency message to any radio station.” This regulation was written at a time when cellular telephones were not popular. It was likely that a GMRS operator would come across a road related emergency and use his/her radio to alert police, fire, or medical authority through a radio relay, either by mobile to base or mobile through repeater relay. (At this period in time bases stations were not permitted to talk to each other as well!) The licensees could hand a portable radio to a person communicating
