Hazardous materials emergency response preparedness is perceived by the public as inadequate, attributed in part to the lack of consolidated information. The objective of this thesis is to investigate this position by conducting an assessment of U.S. hazardous materials emergency response preparedness. The study focused on the role of public emergency response in hazardous materials risk management in the United States, the preparedness of emergency responders to minimize the effects of hazardous materials incidents, and the effectiveness of hazardous materials emergency response in the context of risk management based on empirical analysis. A 1993-1994 survey database is analyzed to identify current public hazardous materials emergency response competencies. Emergency Response Notification System data from 1986 to 1994 are used to characterize response needs. It is concluded that Federal initiatives have succeeded in consolidating statistical reporting, and appear to have effectively: (1) addressed the accident and release prevention segments of hazardous materials risk management, and (2) reduced the consequences of hazardous materials releases through improved hazardous materials emergency response (implied by the significant reduction in notification times and increased response team competencies).