In disaster planning, potential risk factors within an area should be identified. Advance planning which looks at possible sites of major disaster within the area covered by emergency service organizations is crucial. Disaster plans should facilitate the work of emergency staff rather than get in their way. A rapid response time is essential for any disaster plan, since a primary characteristic of disasters is the speed with which they happen. Environmental conditions must also be considered, specifically where environmental conditions may be the backdrop to a man-made disaster or where environmental conditions themselves constitute the disaster. Survivors of a disaster must be accounted for in a disaster plan because they may suffer major psychological trauma if they have witnessed horrible scenes and perhaps lost relatives or loved ones. Multiservice involvement is an inevitable aspect of disaster management; police, fire, ambulance, and hospital services will all be involved. If rescue and recovery work is to be effective, all these different agencies must work together in a coordinated way. Comprehensive discussion and agreement in the planning stage is essential, but there must be full communication down the chain of command so that personnel on the ground know their roles and responsibilities. A list of principles to guide disaster planning is included.