The goal of this research was to show that by adapting techniques from reliability engineering and risk analysis a better way could be developed for evaluating the preparedness of emergency response systems and anticipating the likely future performance of these systems in a large-scale incident. A four-step process, response reliability analysis, was developed to achieve the objective: 1) defining and mapping the response using a systems-oriented approach to see how an entire response operation function; 2) systematically identify failure modes for each part of the response model to provide a structured method for doing "what if" questioning; 3) assessing the probability of occurrence of different failure modes; and 4) assessing the failure mode effects and their severity. The response reliability analysis was conducted on real-world response operations along with an illustrative analysis of a simple response system using simulated data. The results of these analyses demonstrate the broader potential for response reliability analysis to contribute to preparedness planning and evaluation by local, State, and Federal officials. Tables, figures, appendixes, and bibliography