Abstract
Civil Disasters (major incidents) are events which place stress on the emergency services, both in the pre-hospital and hospital phases. There is often intense media interest, and staff must cope with additional pressures while trying to create order from chaos. The need for special arrangements to cope with the large number or severity of casualties defines disasters and distinguishes them from the normal peaks of Accident and Emergency workload. Good organisation of the medical response at the scene requires an efficient medical manager, the medical control officer (MCO), and also the presence of trained staff, who are commonly provided by the Hospital Authority and Auxiliary Medical Services. The need for training and the value of full-scale disaster drills as well as regular table-top exercises is emphasized.