Any radio is better than none and cellphones don't count.

I have read an article where a hiker was saved after his call for help on his FRS has heard 70+ miles away. He was on a mountainside and had a clear line-of-sight to the person who heard him (ideal conditions).

I have a friend who, flying with the Colorado CAP, was able to locate a group of lost hikers using FRS radios. In this case the lost group had become seperated from the main group and it was known that they had FRS radios. Without any radio communications, both of these situations would not have ended as well as they did.

JimJr