THE STUDY INITIALLY SOUGHT DATA FROM 142 CITIES BUT FOUND THAT FEW RESCUE OPERATIONS KEPT DETAILED RECORDS ON EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS, MAINTENANCE COSTS, AND LIFE CYCLE COSTS. THEREFORE, A DETAILED ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE WAS USED TO IDENTIFY THE COMPONENTS OF A RESCUE OPERATION, TYPES OF EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF RESCUE, PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS WHICH VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT SHOULD POSSESS, AND POSSIBLE SOURCES OF SUPPLY. COST ANALYSIS METHODS ARE THEN PRESENTED AND ILLUSTRATED BY CHARTS AND TABLES. CHAPTERS ALSO DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL MARKET FOR RESCUE EQUIPMENT AND SUGGEST APPROPRIATE EVALUATION TESTS FOR RESCUE-RELATED ITEMS. THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF RESCUES WERE EXAMINED: ROAD VEHICLES ACCIDENTS, STRUCTURAL FIRES, TOTAL ENTRAPMENTS, MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, MINE ACCIDENT, INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT, TRAIN ACCIDENT, CONSTRUCTION SITE ACCIDENT, PARTIAL ENTRAPMENT, AND SEVEN MISCELLANEOUS RESCUES. THE REPORT CONTAINS NUMEROUS CHARTS, TABLES, AND GRAPHIC REPRESENTATIONS OF THE RESCUE PROCESS. TABLES PRESENT STATISTICAL DATA. THE NARRATIVE SECTION DISCUSSES PROBLEMS USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN A RESCUE OPERATION, EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS, AND PROCEDURES TO IMPROVE EQUIPMENT FUNCTIONING. TABLES ALSO ILLUSTRATE REPORTED FREQUENCIES OF EQUIPMENT UTILIZATION AND SUMMARIZE EXISTING DEPARTMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS. A SECOND VOLUME, NCJ-50771, CONTAINS ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING DATA. (GLR)