SURVEYS OF CITIZENS INVOLVED IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WERE CONDUCTED IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, AT THE END OF 1973, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA, IN EARLY 1974, AND THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA, OREGON, IN EARLY 1975 IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY CITIZENS WHEN THEY TRIED TO MAKE INITIAL CONTACT WITH THEIR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. COMMON ASSUMPTIONS FOR ALL THREE SURVEYS WERE THAT CITIZENS EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY WHEN FORCED TO CONTACT TWO OR MORE AGENCIES BEFORE DISCOVERING THE CORRECT AGENCY (INCLUDING CALLS TO THE OPERATOR), AND WHEN AN ACTIVE SEARCH FOR THE CORRECT NUMBER WAS NECESSARY. THE RESULTS OF 175 INTERVIEWS IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, SHOWED THAT 23 PERCENT OF THE CITIZENS CONTACTING THE SHERIFF, 37 PERCENT OF THOSE CONTACTING THE SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND 15 PERCENT OF THOSE CONTACTING OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS HAD CONTACTED 2 OR MORE AGENCIES BEFORE REACHING THE CORRECT ONE. ALSO, CITIZENS IN THE LARGER CITIES OF THE COUNTY HAD HIGHER ACCESS TIMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES. IN ORANGE COUNTY, 40 PERCENT OF 414 CITIZENS INTERVIEWED AT THE SCENE OF THE EMERGENCY, REPORTED THAT THEY HAD TO CONTACT 2 OR MORE AGENCIES BEFORE REACHING THE CORRECT ONE. HOWEVER, A MAJORITY OF CITIZENS WERE FORCED TO CALL THE OPERATOR, LOOK THE NUMBER UP IN THE PHONE BOOK, OR OBTAIN A REFERRAL FROM ANOTHER AGENCY. IN PORTLAND, 21 PERCENT (99) OF CALLERS HAD TO COMPLETE 2 OR MORE CALLS BEFORE REACHING THE CORRECT PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCY. MEAN ACCESS TIME FREQUENTLY EXCEEDED THE PERMISSIBLE TIME OF 3 MINUTES WHEN CITIZENS PLACED TWO OR MORE CALLS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT 911 SERVICE WOULD BE MOST USEFUL IN AREAS THAT HAVE URBAN AND URBANIZING DEVELOPMENT, A LARGE TOURIST POPULATION, LARGE NUMBERS OF CITIZENS WHO WORK AWAY FROM THEIR RESIDENCE JURISDICTION, A MAJOR HIGHWAY, OR RAPID CHANGE THROUGH POPULATION GROWTH OR ALTERATIONS IN MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. FOOTNOTES, REFERENCES, AND TABLES ARE PROVIDED. (DEG)