The City of Toronto is prepared, and continually trains, for specialized emergencies, such as weapons of mass destruction and the rescuing of trapped individuals in collapsed structures. These specialty teams consist of members from the various emergency units within the City of Toronto who are extensively trained to handle these specific situations as soon as possible.

HUSAR (Heavy Urban Search and Rescue) Team

Toronto's HUSAR unit is trained to respond, search, and rescue victims from collapsed structures. With assistance from specially-trained dogs and members of the City's engineer, Toronto Fire Services, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staff, this team is equipped to work on a rubble pile and conduct effective searches to maximize the chances of finding victims. The Unit may be used in part by the local emergency services or as a whole, depending on the situation.

The use of chemical, biological or radiological agents as weapons of mass destruction by terrorists is a relatively new risk for the emergency management planning team. Training and equipping the response team are this project's priorities. This team is trained to initiate safe entry, conduct patient triage, deal with contamination, investigate, monitor and carry out lab assessments.