Disasters follow no rules. Traditionally, medical providers have held the erroneous belief that all disasters are different, especially those involving terrorism. In reality, all disasters, regardless of etiology, have similar medical and public health concerns. A consistent approach to disasters, based on an understanding of their common features and the response they require, is becoming the accepted practice throughout the world. This strategy, called the Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Response, has the primary objective of reducing the mortality and morbidity caused by the disaster. The ABC's of Disaster Response Course is designed to train multidisciplinary medical personnel in the key principles of disaster medical response. The course focuses on the key principles of MCI management as well as specific disaster scenarios such as blast injuries, hazardous materials and terrorism which are significant challenges for medical providers.