The problem was that the Town of Wellesley, Massachusetts did not have a shelter in place plan for residential homes during a hazardous materials release. The need for a residential home shelter in place plan was that the community of Wellesley is intersected by several highways, freight and commuter railways and has the potential of being involved in a hazardous materials release. The purpose of this study was to develop a shelter in place plan for residential homes in the Town of Wellesley that can be accomplished by residents in a limited amount of time. This was an action research project. The research questions were: 1. What are the benefits to a community in developing and maintaining a shelter-in-place plan for a hazardous materials release? 2. What comparable community's shelter-in-place plan for a hazardous material release could by utilized in Wellesley? 3.What organizations provide guidance for the development and implementation of a shelter-in-place plan during a hazardous material release? 4. What is the most feasible method to disseminate to the community a shelter-in-place plan for a hazardous material release? The procedures involved interviews of various individuals with topic expertise, and a thorough review of available literature. The information derived from the research procedures answered the research questions. The recommendation based on this study, was for the Town of Wellesley, Massachusetts to adopt and disseminate the Shelter-in-place check list, decision tree and informational mailer as written in this study.