**2. Emergency management, the disaster cycle and a healthcare perspective on security**

### **2.1 Emergency management and disaster medicine**

Disaster medicine and emergency management are two separate fields with overlapping areas of influence, like Venn diagrams with a large portion of common space. Therefore, it is critical that one understand the basic principles of emergency management as it relates to healthcare and hospital preparedness and response. The field of emergency management is premised on several paradigms: disasters are predictable, the disaster cycle, command and control and an all hazards approach.

### **2.2 Disasters are predictable**

The idea of disasters being predictable is confounding to the lay public. Taking time to understand that most disasters are predicable with regards to their occurrence, impact and recovery is paramount to appropriate planning, response and

recovery. Furthermore, identifying what element of disaster are not predictable also allows for appropriate planning and should be acknowledged.

