With a comprehensive Emergency Plan in place, the City of Toronto is prepared to effectively handle all emergencies. The Emergency Plan details the methods in which the City mobilizes its resources during a crisis and ensures all City organizations, emergency response services and key agencies are fully aware of their respective roles and responsibilities during an emergency. The goal is to respond and reduce the impact of a public emergency and restore the municipality to a normal state as soon as possible.
The City of Toronto is vulnerable to numerous hazards. The hazards can be natural such as extreme weather, human-caused such as an incident at a special event or cyber-attack, or technological such as those involving hazardous materials, infrastructure disruptions, and utility and power failures.
The City of Toronto Emergency Plan establishes the framework that ensures the City is prepared to deal with any of these hazards. It is the methodology through which the City will mobilize its resources in the event of an emergency, thereby restoring the municipality to a state of normalcy. The Plan is designed to ensure that all agencies which may become involved in an emergency are aware of their respective roles and responsibilities during that emergency and participate in the emergency management program.
Additionally, the Emergency Plan makes provisions for the earliest possible coordinated response to an emergency, an understanding of the personnel and resources available to the City, and recognition that additional expertise and resources can be called upon if required.
The Emergency Plan is utilized as a tool to assist emergency and municipal services and officials in their emergency response activities to provide an efficient and effective response to an emergency. The Plan must be flexible enough to adapt to a broad spectrum of emergencies and must be supported with:
The Emergency Plan outlines how City agencies will respond to, recover from, and mitigate the impact of an emergency. The Plan contains sections that describe legal authorities, planning assumptions, concept of operations, operational life cycle, organizational responsibilities, and the preparedness cycle.
Emergency Support Functions are supporting documents to the Emergency Plan that provide structure for City divisions, agencies and corporations and outside stakeholders that work collaboratively to provide coordinated support, resources and personnel during an emergency response to an incident. The documents describe how the City’s divisions, agencies and corporations and outside stakeholders coordinate to save lives, protect property and the environment, restore essential services and critical infrastructure, and help victims and communities return to normal following an emergency.
Hazard-Specific Plans are also supporting documents to the Emergency Plan. They contain specific response plans for hazards that may pose a threat to the City of Toronto. These plans reflect the City of Toronto’s Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment.
The aim of the City of Toronto Emergency Plan is to provide the framework for extraordinary arrangements and measures that can be taken to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the inhabitants of the City of Toronto when faced with an emergency.
The Plan unifies the efforts of the City’s divisions, agencies and corporations and outside stakeholders for a comprehensive and effective approach to response and reduction of impact from an emergency. It is intended to increase the emergency response capability of the City of Toronto by establishing a plan of action to deploy emergency services efficiently and effectively.
This Emergency Plan and its supporting documents (Emergency Support Functions and Hazard-Specific Plans) outline the coordinated response that the City of Toronto undertakes in collaboration with its divisions, agencies and corporations and outside stakeholders to ensure an effective response and recovery from an emergency.
Chapter 59 defines the composition of the Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee.
The Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee consists of representatives holding positions in the City, its divisions, agencies, and corporations, or those designated to act on their behalf.
The membership of the Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee includes the following positions or such successor titles as outlined in Chapter 59:
The Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee has identified the following positions as informal “appointed members”:
The City of Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee provides the City with an effective vehicle for developing and maintaining a comprehensive emergency management program, as defined under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and Chapter 59.
In the event of an emergency, the Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee Control Group (the “Control Group”) convenes as it becomes reactive. The membership of the Control Group remains the same as the Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee.
The Mayor; or in the absence or unavailability of the Mayor, the City Manager; or, alternatively a designate for the Mayor, or City Manager as may be required, will act as Chair of the Control Group as specified in Chapter 59. The Control Group will provide overall policy and strategic direction to the Emergency Operations Centre to support the evolving response activities on the road to recovery.
The Emergency Operations Centre will coordinate the City’s response to the emergency using the Incident Management System. The foundation of the Incident Management System is the collaboration and coordination in the establishment of goals, the setting of priorities and the assignment of resources to effectively manage the emergency.
Under section 59-7.1, of Chapter 59 in the event of an emergency, whether declared or not under the Act, the Control Group is authorized to:
The Chair of the Control Group is responsible for initiating, coordinating and directing activities that the Control Group considers necessary to respond to the emergency including, but not limited to:
The Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, or their designate contacts the City Manager to report that the City of Toronto Emergency Operations Centre has been activated. Depending on the nature of the emergency, the Executive Director, Toronto Emergency Management, or any member of the Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee may notify the City Manager of an impending or actual emergency and request activation of the Emergency Operations Centre.
Chapter 59 defines the composition of the Emergency Management Working Group (“Working Group”) as those individuals selected by the Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee. Under this authority, the Committee has designated that the Working Group will consist of director-level representatives from the following divisions, agencies and corporations:
Toronto Emergency Management coordinates with the Committee to identify the appropriate representatives and maintains a contact list of the Working Group members, along with two alternates for each member
Any member of the Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee or Working Group has the authority and responsibility to request an activation of the Emergency Operations Centre and initiate the implementation of the Emergency Plan. Requests to activate the Emergency Operations Centre are directed to either the Executive Director, Toronto Emergency Management or to Toronto Emergency Management’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week On-Call Function.
Should an incident be classified as a Level 2 Emergency or Level 3 Major Emergency, the Toronto Emergency Management On-Call Function is contacted by Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Police Service and/or Toronto Paramedic Services. Toronto Emergency Management staff would connect with the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, to initiate the implementation of the Emergency Plan.
The City of Toronto uses a three-tier emergency level system to determine appropriate notifications as follows:
Upon receiving an emergency notification, the Toronto Emergency Management 24/7 On-Call Function will liaise with the notifying division, agencies or corporation and utilize the Emergency Level Notifications table (see Section 9.2) as a tool to assist in establishing the immediate notifications that may be necessary and/or appropriate.
The Emergency Operations Centre ensures that the Control Group can uphold core functions of the Emergency Plan, including:
During a response, select members of the Working Group will establish and convene at the Emergency Operations Centre to activate these functions. The Emergency Operations Centre staff will provide operational guidance and support to the Incident Commander who maintains the lead role at a site. When divisions establish Divisional Operations Centres to provide operational support during an emergency response, there is a need to centralize efforts and coordinate operational response between all responding divisions. This function is provided by the City’s Emergency Operations Centre.
The City’s Emergency Operations Centre staffing plan ensures that the Emergency Operations Centre is always operationally ready for activation. Staff are required to take pre-requisite training to enable an effective and efficient implementation of Emergency Operations Centre initiatives through the Incident Management System.
The Emergency Operations Centre Director has overall authority and responsibility for activities of the Emergency Operations Centre and for ensuring organizational effectiveness. The Emergency Operations Centre Director establishes the Emergency Operations Centre’s staffing levels, sets the Emergency Operations Centre priorities and objectives for each operational period and ensures objectives are carried out. The Emergency Operations Centre Director briefs the Control Group and other senior officials, as required, and directs appropriate public information in coordination with the Chief Communications Officer.
The Emergency Operations Centre maintains a dedicated facility from which the City of Toronto coordinates its strategic response to an emergency. The Emergency Operations Centre coordinates the management of resources, personnel and incident information.
The Emergency Operations Centre does not replace the need for a sound command structure at the site; instead, it complements the site with further coordination, resource management, information management and overall support.
The Toronto Police Service Major Incident Command Centre is a central point of command, control, communication, and information for the Toronto Police Service. When activated, the Major Incident Command Centre’s Incident Commander has a full perspective of all resources under the command of the Toronto Police Service and tactical oversight of those resources in their function of ensuring public safety and security.
When activated, the Major Incident Command Centre is responsible for the continuity of policing services throughout the City of Toronto and for liaising with the City’s Emergency Operations Centre (if activated) which provides links to all City divisions, agencies and corporations.
During a Major Incident Command Centre activation, Toronto Emergency Management may send a representative to convene at the Major Incident Command Centre and act as a Liaison Officer.
Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Paramedic Services, the Toronto Transit Commission and other external partners may also attend the Major Incident Command Centre to oversee coordination of their respective services with Toronto Police Service operations.
The Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee approved the Councillor Coordination Emergency Support Function in 2015. This Emergency Support Function outlines when and how Councillors’ Offices are notified of an activation of the Emergency Operations Centre. It outlines protocols for regular communication with Councillors during a Level 2 Emergency or a Level 3 Major Emergency. The Emergency Support Function also outlines the councillors’ requirements for keeping contact information for themselves and their staff up to date and responding to the quarterly requirement to confirm their information for the mass notification system. It specifies parameters for training of appropriate parties, including councillors and their staff, City Clerk’s Office and Toronto Emergency Management.
The Councillor Coordination Emergency Support Function also outlines the role of the councillors’ offices throughout an emergency. For example, during a Level 2 Emergency or Level 3 Major Emergency, councillors leverage formal and informal community networks to help disseminate the information provided by the Emergency Operations Centre Councillor Coordination Liaison. They also report urgent matters to the Councillor Coordination Liaison for escalation to the appropriate parties.
A response goal is a broad statement that describes a desired outcome. Priorities for response goals generally focus on eliminating or minimizing impacts of the incident on people, property, and financial resources.
Emergency Operations Centre staff ensure that all levels of the response management system adhere to standardized response goals in the following order of priority:
Depending on the nature of the emergency, external organizations may be asked to provide a representative (e.g., Enbridge, Greater Toronto Airport Authority, Canadian National or Canadian Pacific Rail, etc.) to join the Emergency Operations Centre to assist in coordinating the response.
To fully implement the emergency management program horizontally and vertically throughout the City of Toronto’s organizational structure, it is recommended that those divisions with membership on Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee and/or Working Group have a designated staff member(s), with roles and responsibilities included in formal job descriptions. This increases the City of Toronto’s ability to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover from emergencies and major emergencies and begin the process of embedding an emergency management and business continuity culture to routine business processes and program considerations.
Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment is an evaluation method used to understand hazards. This method helps determine which hazards are most likely to result in an emergency and allows for the comparison of risk between hazards.
Toronto Emergency Management has identified and assessed the various hazards and risks to public safety that could give rise to emergencies and has identified the facilities and other elements of the infrastructure that are at risk of being affected by emergencies. Toronto Emergency Management has developed Emergency Support Functions and Hazard-Specific Plans based on this assessment.
There are three major categories of hazards that may pose a threat to the City of Toronto:
The top 10 risks for the City of Toronto are:
The Emergency Plan is maintained, reviewed, and updated according to a preparedness cycle that includes four phases: plan, operate, evaluate, and take corrective action. The Toronto Emergency Management Program Committee provides oversight of the Plan during all phases of the preparedness cycle, ensuring the Plan aligns with the City’s current policies, organizational structures, and methodologies.
Diagram Description: This diagram depicts the maintenance schedule of the Emergency Plan
The City’s emergency services (Toronto Police Service, Toronto Fire Services, and Toronto Paramedic Services) and other divisions, agencies and corporations manage many incidents that occur on a day-to-day basis. As the magnitude of an emergency increases, so will the requirement for additional support from within the City. The City’s Emergency Operations Centre may be activated to provide support. The Control Group may elect to call upon neighbouring municipalities to provide mutual assistance in accordance with standing agreements. The City may also call upon the provincial government to provide supplemental financial and/or physical resources necessary to deal with the overall impacts of the emergency.
The City’s Emergency Plan adopts the principles of the Incident Management System. The Incident Management System is a standardized approach to emergency management that encompasses personnel, facilities, equipment, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure. Incident Management System concepts and principles include comprehensive resource management, action planning, integrated communications, interoperability, a modular and scalable framework, standard terminology, and span of control.
The five major sections of the Incident Management System (Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance & Administration) can be expanded or contracted to meet requirements as an event progresses. When activated, the City of Toronto staff who fill these roles are referred to as an Incident Management Team.
The response to an emergency in the City will be managed using the Toronto Emergency Plan and any relevant Emergency Support Functions and Hazard-Specific Plans with the following assumptions:
Most emergencies are managed at site by emergency services and other divisions, agencies, and corporations, and are considered routine operations. Emergencies of greater magnitude do happen from time to time and require an emergency management response structure beyond normal daily operations. The required response must be appropriate to the magnitude of the incident and follow the notification system as defined in the following Emergency Level Notifications table.
Table 1: Emergency Level Notifications
| Level 1 – Incident | |
| Operational Implications | This level requires coordination, collaboration and/or communications for one or a combination of the following:
|
| Toronto Emergency Management Support | Support available through 24/7 On-Call Function. |
| City Division Notification | Lead division(s) will follow established notification and escalation procedures to their chain of command. |
| Toronto Emergency Management Notification | No notifications required as division(s) will follow established internal notification and escalation procedures.
If Toronto Emergency Management is activated to monitor, it will notify members of the Control Group, Emergency Management Working Group, Strategic Public and Employee Communications, City Clerk’s Office and other divisions, agencies and corporations. |
| Examples | Localized power disruptions, severe weather watches and warnings, localized flooding, Emergency Social Services coordination and response. |
| Level 2 – Emergency | |
| Operational Implications | This level requires coordination, collaboration and/or communications for one or a combination of the following:
|
| Toronto Emergency Management Support | Toronto Emergency Management will:
|
| City Division Notification | Lead divisions will follow established notification and escalation procedures to their chain of command and Toronto Emergency Management. |
| Toronto Emergency Management Notification | Toronto Emergency Management will notify:
Strategic Public and Employee Communications will activate the Emergency Information and Media Relations Emergency Support Function The City Clerk’s Office will notify Councillors of the activation of the Emergency Operations Centre and the Councillor Coordination Emergency Support Function. |
| Examples | High-rise(s) or large area evacuation, major road(s) washout/closures, emergency social services reception centre, large power outage (2010 – 200 Wellesley St., 2013 – July 8 flooding). |
| Level 3 – Major Emergency | |
| Operational Implications | This level requires coordination, collaboration and/or communications for ALL of the following purposes:
|
| Toronto Emergency Management Support | Toronto Emergency Management may;
|
| City Division Notification | Lead divisions will follow established notification and escalation procedures to their chain of command and Toronto Emergency Management. |
| Toronto Emergency Management Notification | Toronto Emergency Management will notify:
Strategic Public and Employee Communications will activate the Emergency Information and Media Relations Emergency Support Function. The City Clerk’s Office will notify Councillors of the activation of the Emergency Operations Centre and the activation of the Councillor Coordination Emergency Support Function. The Clerk’s Office will follow established protocols set out in the Councillor Coordination Emergency Support Function. |
| Examples | Nuclear event, COVID-19 pandemic, emergency, city-wide power outage, severe storm/weather |
Table Description:
Table 1 outlines the emergency notification system by emergency level (e.g., Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3).
The Councillor Coordination Emergency Support Function establishes when and how City Clerk’s and Councillors’ Offices are notified of an activation of the Emergency Operations Centre. It outlines protocols for regular communication with Councillors during a Level 2 Emergency or a Level 3 Major Emergency. It specifies parameters for training for appropriate parties, including Councillors and their staff, City Clerk’s Office staff and Toronto Emergency Management staff.
Animal care and relief is coordinated by Toronto Animal Services in the Municipal Licensing & Standards Division and delivered by pre-identified animal care and relief responders with pre-determined roles that come together to provide these services in emergencies. The Animal Care and Relief Services Emergency Support Function outlines the response provided to service and companion animals that are displaced or otherwise affected by an emergency and provides an overview of roles and responsibilities.
The purpose of the Damage Assessment Emergency Support Function is to define the roles and responsibilities of City of Toronto divisions, agencies and corporations in order to provide guidance to staff related to the inspection and reporting on the condition of buildings, designated structures and municipal infrastructure.
The Debris Management Emergency Support Function defines the roles and responsibilities of divisions, agencies and corporations for the management (removal and disposition) of debris following an incident. The purpose of this Emergency Support Function is to mitigate against any potential threat to lives, health, safety and welfare of the impacted citizens, expedite search and rescue and/or recovery efforts of impacted area(s).
This Emergency Donations Management Emergency Support Function applies to financial contributions and donated goods. It guides emergency donations management during an emergency response. It does not include offers of personal service or labour.
The Emergency Information and Media Relations Emergency Support Function outlines the role of the Strategic Public and Employee Communications Division during an emergency and supports the City of Toronto’s efforts to assist Toronto residents in coping with, and recovering from, a Level 2 Emergency or Level 3 Major Emergency.
The Strategic Public and Employee Communications Division is responsible for implementation and oversight of the City of Toronto’s communications activities. The Division will provide advice to the City’s divisions, agencies and corporations as required, or as directed by the City Manager.
Strategic Public and Employee Communications is responsible for communicating critical information before an impending incident (if applicable), during and after a major disaster or public emergency on behalf of the Emergency Operations Centre and City officials to 311 Toronto, City staff, members of Council, community leaders, residents, businesses and the media.
This Emergency Support Function addresses the principles, planning assumptions and concept of operations for emergency information, issues management and media relations for a potential or imminent emergency.
If the emergency involves multiple jurisdictions, communications may be joint where necessary or appropriate. In the event of a major public emergency that requires a provincial and/or federal response, Strategic Public and Employee Communications will coordinate City of Toronto communications with provincial and federal officials as appropriate.
The Emergency Social Services Emergency Support Function outlines the response provided when residents are displaced or otherwise affected by an emergency. This Emergency Support Function guides the Emergency Social Services response provided during a Level 1 – Incident up to a Level 3 – Major Emergency.
This Emergency Support Function does not include services for people who require immediate medical care. When evacuees who need immediate medical assistance are identified, services are provided by Toronto Paramedic Services through 911 calls and other procedures. Long-term housing is also outside the scope of this Emergency Support Function.
This Emergency Support Function deals with planning and preparing for a decision to evacuate an area in the event of an emergency or pending emergency, a description of responsibilities to conduct the evacuation, and the process for re-entry. It includes a description of the responsibilities of staff, agencies and procedures involved in alerting the community of the need to evacuate, movement of the population during the evacuation and re-entry of the population once the affected area is deemed safe.
Since emergencies and pending emergencies are diverse in nature, it is difficult to create a plan that has a detailed account of the duties involved. The aim of this document is to provide guidance for the responsibilities that will ensure the safety and security of the community during an emergency evacuation.
The Mass Casualty Emergency Support Function describes a coordinated and effective approach to providing health and medical assistance in the immediate aftermath of a mass casualty emergency that impedes routine health and medical services within the City of Toronto. It provides direction for responding to mass casualty needs following an emergency. Assistance provided under this Emergency Support Function is directed by Toronto Paramedic Services and is supported by several agencies within the City as well as the coordination between the agencies and private healthcare service providers.
The Traffic Management Emergency Support Function describes the transportation resources (facilities, equipment, materials, supplies, and human and technical information) that support the City’s ability to implement an emergency transportation response. The aim of this Emergency Support Function is to provide the inter-Divisional and inter-agency operational support responsibilities that will ensure the safety and security of first responders, the general public and visitors to the City of Toronto.
The purpose of this Emergency Support Function is to facilitate and coordinate the placement of unaffiliated volunteers to assist in an emergency. It defines the roles and responsibilities within the volunteer coordination plan and provides guidance to Human Resources as the lead division for volunteer coordination.
The City of Toronto develops hazard-specific plans to complement its all-hazards planning. These plans address the unique risks, vulnerabilities, and response actions required for specific hazards, clarifying how roles, resources, and coordination may differ during various emergencies.
The City has developed hazard-specific plans for the following hazards:
Divisions, agencies, and corporations may also develop plans for specific hazards that complement their all-hazards plans and procedures.
Recovery planning identifies issues, coordinates resources, ensures information is accurate and reliable, and works to restore utilities and other services in a timely manner. It provides an accountable, transparent process that ensures recovery services are accessible and applied in a consistent manner City-wide.
Recovery is a coordinated process of supporting affected communities in the reconstruction of the physical infrastructure and restoration of emotional, social, economic and physical wellbeing.