Pre-hospital response to major incidents.

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, and the subsequent anthrax scares, the approach to preparing for and dealing with major incidents has had to be re-thought. Major incident planning, training and preparedness, once the domain of NHS senior managers and frontline A&E staff, is now the business of all NHS nurses. This article provides the theoretical knowledge needed by nurses to operate at the scene of a pre-hospital major incident.