The role of pharmacy in hospital emergency preparedness is often neglected, especially in relativel safe occidental countries. This raises questions about what a hospital pharmacy service must do in exceptional situations to support management of the crisis.International literature was searched to summarize descriptions of roles played by hospital pharmacies in disaster situations. A national survey of Swiss hospital pharmacies was conducted to collect data on actual disaster plans. Needs and expectations of the hospital partners were locally collected through semi-structured interviews. 219 articles discussing disasters and pharmacy were retrieved. 16 provided valuables information. Highlighted duties of hospital pharmacist were stock management and drug distribution. According to the national survey, 83% of the hospitals have a disaster plan, while only 63% of the pharmacies have. The main tasks identified were emergency drug supply (incl. autonomy calculation and antidotes distribution) and participation to crisis management at the hospital level. Locally, expectations were about preparedness of the pharmacy (drug and antidote stockpiles) and quick mobilization via emergency call lists in order to provide both logistic and clinical support. A hospital pharmacy plays a substantial role in disaster situations. The gathered information was compiled and lead to the establishment of a disaster plan that can be used in our pharmacy service in mass casualty incidents.