A "disaster" can be defined as any situation that requires resources greater than any one department or agency has to offer. It then becomes necessary to combine the resources of many agencies to respond effectively to the disaster. The first step in the planning process is to identify all of the agencies in the local area that might be involved in dealing with a major incident. Representatives from these agencies should meet to develop a master disaster plan. The second step is to plan an exercise or disaster drill. This should be based on a risk assessment of local sites and facilities to determine the location and type of disaster that could most likely occur. The simulated disaster should reflect the findings of this assessment. Outside observers familiar with disaster exercises can be consulted for an objective evaluation of the exercise. The third step in the process involves the actual performance of the exercise. This involves determining the date, time, and place for the exercise and the evaluation of the exercise immediately upon its completion. Brief suggestions are offered for disaster planning, communications, mobile command post, fire suppression, search and rescue, evacuation, emergency medical treatment, triage, and crowd control.