During emergencies, people do not communicate better - they communicate worse. Stress causes rambling, skipped information, repeated transmissions, and confusion about who is calling whom. A simple, repeatable structure prevents this.

Every emergency GMRS transmission should contain five elements, in this order:

• Who you are calling (coded)
• Who you are (coded)
• What is happening
• Where you are (coded)
• What you need or what happens next

If one of these is missing, the message often fails or requires clarification.

Emergency communication fails more often due to delivery, not wording. Pause briefly before transmitting, speak slower than normal conversation, use a calm even tone, transmit once and wait for acknowledgment, and do not fill silence with unnecessary words.

Silence is not failure. Silence means the channel is clear for response.

GMRS is open, in-the-clear communication. Anyone monitoring the channel can hear you. Real names, exact locations, destinations, and movement plans must be treated as sensitive information, especially during emergencies.

The rule: Do not transmit real names or exact locations in the clear unless absolutely necessary. Use pre-assigned codes instead.

All templates below use coded identifiers and coded locations.

Use this when people must relocate.

• Transmitting real names or addresses in the clear
• Giving backstory
• Talking too long
• Repeating transmissions without pause
• Using vague locations ("over here")
• Panicking on open channels

Short, boring, coded messages work best.

These templates should be printed, saved on phones, reviewed occasionally, and practiced briefly during drills. You should not invent emergency messages under stress.