Both civilian and military authorities continually are compelled to develop and revise disaster plans in order to demonstrate that they are prepared to manage any major incident occuring within their jurisdiction. Such plans may have some distinct value in that they often contain lists of key persons and agencies to contact in the event of a major incident, or because they prospectively document local policies of operation when actions taken during the incident are subsequently criticized by second-guessers. However, elaborate plans generally are forgotten or initially disregarded at the scene of an actual emergency situation.