FLC OF AN ACR MDT JET HAD A CARGO SMOKE WARNING MESSAGE DURING CRUISE CAUSING THEM TO DECLARE AN EMER AND DIVERT LAND. AFTER RUNNING CHKLISTS; AND BRIEFING THE CABIN ATTENDANTS AND PAX FOR LNDG AND EVAC; LNDG WAS MADE WITH FIRE RESCUE STANDING BY.

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WHILE ENRTE FROM CVG TO CAE; WE HAD A CARGO SMOKE WARNING MESSAGE AND ASSOCIATED AURAL WARNINGS. WE IMMEDIATELY PROCEEDED WITH THE CARGO SMOKE EMER CHKLIST ITEMS AND DECLARED AN EMER WITH ATC. WE DETERMINED THAT KNOXVILLE; TN; WAS OUR MOST SUITABLE DIVERSION POINT BASED ON OUR DISTANCE AND ALT AS WELL AS FACILITIES AVAILABLE AFTER LNDG TO DEAL WITH A POSSIBLE FIRE. WE WERE GIVEN A DIRECT CLRNC TO TYS AND A DSCNT TO 11000 FT. WE TOLD ATC TO HAVE CFR EQUIP OUT TO MEET US IN KNOXVILLE AND TO ADVISE OUR COMPANY OF THE EMER; AND OUR POINT OF DIVERSION. WE ALSO; GAVE THEM THE NUMBER OF SOULS AND FUEL ONBOARD. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS TOLD OF THE SIT AND GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCONTINUE CABIN SVC AND PREPARE FOR AN EMER EVAC OUT THE MAIN CABIN DOOR AFTER LNDG. I ALSO TOLD HER THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE FINE AND THAT WE HAD ABOUT 10 MINS TO LNDG. THEN I MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX AND TOLD THEM THAT THE WARNING WAS GONE; BUT WE HAD DECLARED AN EMER AND WERE DIVERTING TO KNOXVILLE. I ASSURED THEM THAT WE WOULD BE FINE AND NOT TO WORRY. WE WERE VECTORED TO RWY 23R AND PLANNED TO PULL OFF THE RWY AT B3 WHERE THE CFR EQUIP WOULD BE IN POS AND READY. AS WE ROLLED ONTO B3; WE REQUESTED A WIND CHK AND POINTED THE NOSE INTO THE WIND; BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. I BEGAN THE EMER EVAC CHKLIST AND USING THE PA SYS ADVISED THE PAX THAT WE NEEDED TO EVAC ACFT AND TOLD THEM TO LEAVE THEIR LUGGAGE BEHIND AND JUST GET UP AND WALK TO THE MAIN CABIN DOOR AND EXIT TO ASSEMBLE AT A DISTANT AREA IN FRONT OF THE ACFT AS DIRECTED BY THE FO AND FIREMEN. ONCE THE CHKLIST WAS COMPLETE AND ALL PAX WERE SAFELY OFF THE ACFT; I EXITED AND CONSULTED WITH CFR PERSONNEL; ARPT OFFICIALS AND ACR X STATION PERSONNEL. THE ACFT PERSONNEL WERE TOLD OF POSSIBLE HALON GAS IN THE CARGO AREA PRIOR TO OPENING THE DOOR. THEY INSPECTED THE AREA AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE OR SMOKE DAMAGE. MAINT LATER INSPECTED THE CARGO AREA AS WELL AS THE DETECTION AND EXTINGUISHING SYS. THEY ALSO SAW NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WARNING WAS FALSE. THE DETECTION AND EXTINGUISHING SYS WERE WRITTEN UP IN THE MAINT LOG AND DEFERRED BY MAINT. WITH THIS DEFERRAL; NO BAGGAGE IS PERMITTED TO BE CARRIED IN THE CARGO AREA. WE CONTINUED FROM THIS POINT TO OPERATE AS A REVENUE FLT AND PAX CHKED BAGS WERE SENT ON A LATER FLT. THEY WERE PERMITTED TO BRING ONE CARRY-ON BAG ONBOARD AS LONG AS IT MET THE SIZE CRITERIA LAID OUT BY OUR OPS MANUAL. WE RECEIVED A NEW DISPATCH RELEASE FOR THIS FLT AND THE MEL ITEMS FOR THE CARGO SMOKE DETECTION AND EXTINGUISHING SYS WERE NOT LISTED. OUR OPS MANUAL REQUIRES CDL/MEL ITEMS TO BE LISTED ON THE RELEASE IF THERE IS A FLT RESTR. A FLT RESTR IS SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS THE WAY WE FLY THE AIRPLANE SUCH AS AN AIRSPD; WT OR ALT RESTR. THEREFORE; I SAW NO PROB WITH THAT INFO BEING ABSENT FROM THE RELEASE. AS I WRITE THIS RPT; THE FAA MAY BE DISPUTING THIS INTERP WITH ACR X. WE CONTINUED TO CAE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.