THE PLAN WAS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF GEORGIA STATE ACT 636, THE 'EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER '911' SERVICE ACT OF 1977.' SINCE THE ACT IS PERMISSIVE ONLY, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO INSTALL THE SYSTEM; HOWEVER, THE PLAN IS INTENDED TO SIMPLIFY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT BY PROVIDING PREVIOUSLY APPROVED MEASURES FOR IMPLEMENTATION. A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS IS DESCRIBED WHICH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND SAFETY AGENCIES CAN USE TO FASHION A 911 SYSTEM. COUNTYWIDE CONFIGURATION PLANS HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO BE FORWARDED TO THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES FOR APPROVAL AND INCLUSION IN THE STATE PLAN. EARLY SECTIONS OF THE PLAN COVER THE BENEFITS, BACKGROUND, AND DEFINITION OF 911 SYSTEMS. FOUR MAJOR PLANNING ELEMENTS (AREA TO BE SERVED, LOCATION OF ANSWERING CENTER, DISPATCHING AND ROUTING METHODS) ARE REVIEWED, AND THE PLANNING SEQUENCE, FROM COUNTY BOARD ACTION TO STATE APPROVAL, IS DESCRIBED. IN A FINAL SECTION, FUNDING, ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION, AND OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS ARE BRIEFLY OUTLINED. APPENDIXES ARE INCLUDED CONTAINING A GLOSSARY OF '911' TERMS, STATE ACT 636, A SAMPLE COUNTY OR CITY RESOLUTION, MUTUAL AID AND INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS, NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF TELEPHONE COMPANIES IN GEORGIA, THE '911' CONFIGURATION PLAN FORMAT WITH A SAMPLE CONFIGURATION PLAN, AND A LIST OF SYMBOLS TO BE USED FOR SERVING AREA MAPS.