Serious question - Who are ya'll talking to on your radios?

This is a serious question and isn't for the first responders that post here since for obvious reason.

But to the civilians, putting together a chest rig and buying fancy radios and the huge folding antennas, who are you talking to?

I'm not asking why you buy it, it's cool I get it. I spend my money on stuff I think is cool too but other than the aesthetic is there something I'm missing about the radios?