I know this is probably an ignorant question, but how is that gap bridged?
Meaning if during a disaster/emergency situation and regular communications are down, and I observe something that warrants an emergency response, how is that relayed?
It's bridged by:
Random hobbyist
Must be listening to the radio
Must be on the same frequency as you.
Must be in range to hear you.
Must have a decent enough setup to hear you.
Must be willing to help.
Must understand that passing on the information accurately to a professional responder that can help you is important and it isn't a place to play games.
Those are a lot of "if's". Too many for me to personally rely on in an emergency.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist is going to be sitting in front of the radio at any given moment.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist is going to be listening at any given moment.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist is going to be on the same frequency as you.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist is going to be in range of you.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist is going to have a decent enough station to hear you.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist is going to want to help you.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist is going to know what to do with the information you give them.
There's no guarantee that any hobbyist isn't dealing with their own issues in a disaster/emergency/SHTF/Zombie Apocalypse.
Hobbyists are not professional first responders. They are "random dude with a radio".
There are ways to change the equations above to improve your chances of reaching another human, but then you are usually getting beyond VHF/UHF amateur radio type stuff. HF can give you much more range, but you need a big antenna on your car, and the atmosphere has to be smiling upon you at that moment. Even then, reaching someone in another county, state or country is going to have challenges relaying your needs to suitable first responders in your immediate area.
Amateur radio is -not- an emergency radio service. There are those that will try to convince you that getting your ham ticket guarantees that you'll be able to talk to someone at any time of the day or night and from anywhere on the globe, and get emergency assistance quickly. That's just pure marketing BS to get people to buy radios. It doesn't work out that way, at least not reliably. It's a hell of a thing to be in a real life or death emergency and be relying on someone that may have passed a 35 question multiple choice test and has an $18 Chinese radio.
Ham radio is a fun hobby to talk to other like minded individuals. In some circumstances, it can put you in touch with someone else that may be able to get you help in an emergency.
But would you really want to rely on a 911 dispatcher that studied for a few hours a night until they could pass a multiple choice test? Would you want to rely on a 911 dispatcher that was using cobbled together communications gear they bought at a flea market that may or may not work reliably?
If it's a true emergency that you are concerned about, then get the right tools to reach a professional when you need them. Your life, the life of a family member, or that of a friend, relative or neighbor may depend on it.
Cell phones work pretty reliably in most cases. Hams love to talk about the fragility of telecommunications infrastructure that wasn't built by some random guy in his basement. The truth is, modern telecommunications networks can be pretty reliable. Plus, they'll get you in touch with a highly trained professional that will get help to you, even if you don't know where you are. All you gotta do is dial those 3 numbers and hit "send". So easy a 5 year old can be trained to do it.
If reliability or coverage is a concern, get something like a Garmin InReach mini and pay the $12/mo for the service. It'll work anywhere on the globe and put you in direct contact with a professional that will be there when you need them.
If you want a fun hobby where you can mess around with radios, talk to others that share similar interests, and practice the art of radio, then amateur radio is a great hobby.
But don't confuse it with 911.