According to a CB monitoring group truck drivers that are spending time on the emergency UHF channel for chatting to other drivers are apparently risking the lives of others. The Australian Citizens Radio Emergency Monitors (ACREM) has said that that a number of truck drivers are continuing conversations on channel 35 on the UHF that were started on channel 40. Martin Howells, the ACREM Chief Commissioner, has said that channels 5 and 35 on the UHF are only supposed to be used for emergency transmissions. Channel 5 is the primary emergency channel whilst channel 35 is meant to be used as the input channel for emergency repeaters as required. He said that generally truck drivers are aware of channel 5 but do not have an understanding that channel 35 is also used for emergencies and that if the use channel 35 for other reasons they may be responsible for blocking a nearby emergency repeater system which could cost lives. Channels 31 and 38 are also possibly used for repeaters that are close. He said that while truck drivers might know about local repeaters that are operating on channels 1 through 8 they may not be aware that repeaters actually require two channels to work with the second channel being located in channel 30 or higher. If there is a repeater working on channel 6, channel 36 will also be used. Martin Howells said that if drivers are changing channels from channel 40 it is the best idea to avoid all of the channels between 31 and 38. In 2004 in Brisbane a person died while it took the monitors approximately 40 minutes to clear the interference that was on the emergency channel. There are penalties for misusing the designated channels, two years prison or a $165,000 fine and if an emergency call is actually blocked then it may be five years prison or a $550,000 fine.