CITY OF TORONTO EMERGENCY PLAN
Emergency Support
Function
Mass Fatality
Toronto Police Service
Version 4.0
November 2014
Mass Fatality ESF – November 2014
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 2
1.1.
Purpose ......................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2.
Scope ............................................................................................................................................. 3
1.3.
Assumptions .................................................................................................................................. 3
2.0
Concept of Operations ........................................................................................ 3
2.1.
General.......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.1.
2.1.2.
2.1.3.
2.2.
Operating Procedures ................................................................................................................... 8
2.2.1.
3.0
Mitigation .............................................................................................................................. 5
Preparation ........................................................................................................................... 5
Response / Withdrawal ......................................................................................................... 6
Unified Command Coordination ........................................................................................... 8
Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................. 8
3.1.
Primary / Lead Agency / Division .................................................................................................. 8
3.1.1.
3.1.2.
3.1.3.
3.2.
Office of the Chief Coroner ................................................................................................... 8
Toronto Police Service .......................................................................................................... 9
Transportation Safety Board ................................................................................................. 9
Supporting Agencies / Divisions .................................................................................................... 9
3.2.1.
3.2.2.
3.2.3.
3.2.4.
Toronto Paramedic Services ................................................................................................. 9
Office of Emergency Management ..................................................................................... 10
Strategic Communications .................................................................................................. 10
Funeral Service Association of Canada ............................................................................... 10
Mass Fatality ESF – November 2014
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Emergency Support Function
Mass Fatality
Primary / Lead Agency / Division:
Office of the Chief Coroner
Toronto Police Service
Transportation Safety Board
Supporting Divisions:
Toronto Paramedic Services
Office of Emergency Management
Funeral Service Association Canada
Strategic Communications
1.0
Introduction
Emergencies or disasters can result in numerous deaths. In such incidents, it is
imperative that bodies be removed by trained personnel. Evidence used to identify the
dead and establish the cause of death must be properly collected. However, due to
large numbers of dead, local resources may be quickly overwhelmed and require
outside assistance.
A multiple fatality incident is an event or incident in which several persons expire and
which may be beyond the capabilities of local resources to deal with the investigation,
reporting, recovery, identification, examination and disposition of the human remains
involved in the incident.
In a mass fatality event when the deaths are sudden and unexpected the Office of the
Chief Coroner has the ultimate authority to intervene and investigate. In this instance
the Provincial Multiple Fatality Plan would be enacted. Pursuant to S. 10 of the
Coroner's Act, 1995, a coroner must investigate all unnatural deaths. Human resources
and supplies will be coordinated through the Office of the Chief Coroner with all
agencies involved, and sent to the scene to provide assistance to help identify victims,
establish cause of death, and secure evidence and process remains. Once the
Provincial Multiple Fatality Plan is enacted, the Provincial Emergency Operations
Centre may be activated as well.
1.1. Purpose
The purpose of this Emergency Support Function is to describe and identify roles and
practices in mitigation, preparedness, response to and recovery from mass fatality
incidents.
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The ESF provides for proper coordination of mass fatality incident response activities. It
identifies the means and methods for the sensitive, respectful, orderly care and handling
of human remains, other victims, families and communities in multi-death disaster
situations.
1.2. Scope
In the event of a mass fatality incident in the City of Toronto, assistance required by the
Office of the Chief Coroner will be coordinated through the activated Emergency
Operations Centre in accordance with this Emergency support function. Requests for
resources and city services will be directed and supported through the Emergency
Operations Centre, under the direction of the Control Group. A representative from
Emergency Management Ontario will attend at the EOC to coordinate efforts with the
Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC).
The primary concerns of a mass fatality incident response are recovery, identification of
human remains and assistance to affected families. Protection and preservation of
evidence is crucial in the event that the site is considered a crime scene. In addition,
the safety of response personnel must be a priority.
Mass fatality incidents involve many tasks and can become very complex. Teamwork
and appreciation for the roles of other agencies are crucial during the mitigation and
planning stages, incident response and recovery stages of the incident.
1.3. Assumptions
The City of Toronto is vulnerable to a number of risks; such as, hurricanes, tornadoes,
floods, hazardous materials incidents, mass transportation accidents, and acts of
terrorism.
Any of these occurrences could result in multiple death response
requirements that would place significant strain on local capabilities.
Mass fatality response during any incident will be limited. It will be secondary to the
rescue of living individuals conducted in search and rescue operations.
2.0
Concept of Operations
Emergency Support Functions are supporting documents to the City of Toronto
Emergency Plan. While these are stand-alone documents not contained in the
Emergency Plan they contain the structure and framework for integrated support by
Lead and Supporting Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Divisions in the most
frequently grouped Emergency functions responding to emergencies.
Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between the Toronto Emergency Plan, this Volunteer
Management ESF, and the other ESFs and Risk Specific Plans.
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2.1. General
The Concept of Operations is intended to provide overall guidance to municipal staff on
the areas of responsibility and proper response to a mass fatality incident, irrespective
of the cause.
Should a large emergency occur in the City of Toronto, the Toronto Police Services
would be responsible for management of the site. The police are required to provide
site security, control and investigative assistance to the other agencies that are
involved.
The Transportation Safety Board will coordinate the investigation of all incidents
involving aircraft, railways, marine shipping and pipelines.
One factor of a mass fatality incident involves the notification of next-of-kin. Grieving
relatives, especially those at the disaster site, may need crisis counselling by faith
based representatives, social workers or other professionals. A family assistance
centre might be required for such things as housing, medical services, personal
services (banking, financial, insurance etc), collection of ante-mortem information. The
notification process of next of kin may require relatives to be located over long
distances.
In the event of a mass fatality in which the deaths might not be considered sudden and
unexpected (such as during an infectious disease outbreak), the City of Toronto
Integrated Corporate Response Plan for Pandemic Influenza - Appendix 4.7 Natural
Death Surge Strategy may be implemented in consultation with the Regional Coroner.
The following flow chart outlines the sequence of events and response activities that
would occur in a mass fatality event.
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2.1.1. Mitigation
This stage involves characterizing systems at risk and identifying and analyzing high
risk components. Broad mitigation measures will include implementation of any
industry specific safety standards. It may also include undertaking specialized training
and education measures, such as public health education campaigns.
2.1.2. Preparation
In preparation for the possibility of a mass fatality event a number of pre-event actions
should take place, such as:
 Development of Mutual Assistance agreements
 Pre-designation of temporary morgue facilities; location and staffing needs for
temporary morgue (storage and/or transport)
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 Appropriate training for suspected or confirmed infectious disease situations. In
such cases every worker involved in the response must have the appropriate
training and personal protective equipment required to implement routine
precautions, as well as any identified additional precautions
2.1.3. Response / Withdrawal
Initial response activities of the Toronto Police Service, in coordination with the Office of
the Chief Coroner involve securing the site, initial scene evaluation, and the
establishment and coordination of all other phases of the recovery effort. It should be
noted that every site should be treated as a crime scene until it has been determined as
otherwise.
Security at the scene of mass fatality disasters is critical to the success of all operations.
The scene must be clearly delineated and rules of access must be established and
strictly enforced to ensure the following:
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Maintain site integrity via establishment of secure perimeter
Maintain chain of custody of evidentiary items
Prevent scene workers from being disturbed
Control unauthorized volunteers who may rush to the scene in an attempt to help
Maintain the dignity and privacy of families
Prevent public / media from witnessing/ the condition of remains
The initial evaluation will determine needs and dangers such as:
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Identification of possible chemical, biological, nuclear, and / or primary and
secondary incendiary hazards
Equipment needed to ensure the safety of responders
The number of fatalities
The condition of human remains
Accessibility of the scene and equipment necessary to begin recovery operations
Determine location(s) for family assistance centre. Consideration should include
the need to possibly house family members
Determine the location for Psychosocial Response and Recovery for responders.
The need to call in additional resources
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Recovery of Remains
Search and recovery involves locating and removing bodies, body parts, and personal
effects. The search and recovery team will document everything found at the disaster
site, as it may help in the investigation and in the morgue operations.
 No remains shall be moved, or touched by workers except for primary triage
purposes until direction and approval have been given by the Coroner, unless
necessary for responder safety or to prevent further damage to the remains.
 The Coroner will take a lead role as part of the site management team that will
coordinate all operations.
 Bodies may be contaminated both internally and externally. Contaminated
bodies shall not be decontaminated until authorized by the Coroner;
decontamination will be conducted in a manner to preserve evidence.
 Some incidents may involve a suspected or confirmed infectious disease. In
such cases every worker involved in the response must have the appropriate
training and personal protective equipment required to implement routine
precautions, as well as any additional precautions as identified.
 Remains or body parts will be handled as per established forensic protocols
 Unattached personal effects found on or near the body will be placed in a
container and recorded for recovery.
 Valuables such as wallets or jewellery that are attached to the body or found
near the remains should be left attached or contained, recorded and secured.
Transportation of Remains
 The transfer of remains to the morgue should be handled discretely using
appropriate, unmarked vehicles such as refrigerated trucks.
 Transport of remains and documentation should be coordinated by police.
Morgue Operations
 Collection and coordination of all logs associated with morgue operations.
 Cataloguing, storage, and disposition of all personal effects.
 Examination, analysis and identification of human remains.
 Release of remains to the funeral home.
Family Assistance
The family assistance centre is one of the most sensitive operations in a mass fatality
event. A family assistance centre must be established and should be physically
separated from the disaster scene. The activities surrounding the setup and operation
of the family assistance centre will be coordinated through the activated EOC under the
direction of the Chief Coroner. The Emergency Information, Emergency Human
Services and Psychosocial Response and Recovery Emergency Support functions will
be activated to support this response. The area selected should be secured, in order to
give privacy and dignity to the families. Regular briefings by the Coroner or staff will
help keep the families informed. Meeting with the families on an individual basis early
Mass Fatality ESF – November 2014
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on makes it possible to start the process of collecting ante mortem records for use in the
morgue operations. Responsibilities of the centre are:
 Establishment of a reception area for next of kin and all related needs
(accommodation, counselling, etc.)
 Providing relatives of victims with information and access to services they may
need in the days following the incident
 To gather information
 To protect families from the media and curiosity seekers
 To allow investigators and the Coroner's office access to families so they can
obtain information.
 Psychosocial support.
All ongoing activities are continued until all possible recoveries and identifications have
been completed.
2.2.
Operating Procedures
All responding units will coordinate their inter-agency response on site according to
internal agency procedures. In Toronto, Divisions, Agencies, Boards and Commissions
use the Incident Management System to organize their response activities.
2.2.1. Unified Command Coordination
Each agency shall designate an inter-agency liaison officer to ensure coordinated
incident site management and adequate communication is achieved through frequent
exchange of information, especially with respect to the hazards and status of the
operational activities. Unified command and coordination will be established according
to accepted Incident Management System protocols.
3.0
Roles and Responsibilities
3.1. Primary / Lead Agency / Division
3.1.1. Office of the Chief Coroner
As the Lead Division / Agency, the Office of the Chief Coroner will:
 Establish a liaison or representation at the City’s Emergency Operations Centre
 Activate the Provincial Multiple Fatality Plan
 Initiate activation and provide a lead role at the Family Assistance Centre
 Be responsible for recovery and evacuation of remains, body identification,
disposition of human remains and preservation or embalming
 Through the Family Assistance Centre the Coroner's Office is responsible for
notification of next of kin or representative, documentation on each victim and the
preparation and file death certificates
Mass Fatality ESF – November 2014
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Identify the morgue site(s) and / or temporary morgue facility
Establish of staging area
Will work in conjunction with others regarding the release of information. This
may be coordinated through the Provincial Operations Centre and the Ministry of
Community Safety and Correctional Services Communications Branch
3.1.2. Toronto Police Service
Police will be responsible for all site security and investigation including the following:
 Establishing a security and credentialing system
 Setting up a security perimeter and establishing a staffed entry/egress points
 Briefing and debriefing personnel when entering or leaving the staging area.
 Removing unauthorized personnel from the scene
 Assisting the Coroner in their investigations as the Coroner deems necessary
 Acquiring, assembling and coordinating all necessary TPS personnel, the
materials required to support those personnel and the functions that will be
required of them
 Providing advice and up to date information to the Incident Commander
regarding TPS concerns, identifications or requirements of personnel
 Participating as a member of the identification processing group, reporting to the
Coroner as to the findings of group members and giving opinions as to whether
the remains have been sufficiently identified to release them to the next of kin
 Appling special skills of officers within the identification processing group where
required during the investigation
Police are required to hold for safekeeping any article or thing seized by the Coroner in
the course of their investigation. The police will hold that article until the conclusion of
the investigation, or in the event of an inquest, until the conclusion of the inquest.
3.1.3. Transportation Safety Board
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Responsible for coordinating the investigation of all occurrences involving an
accident or incident associated with the operation of a ship, aircraft, railway
rolling stock or commodity pipeline
Responsible for support to Toronto Police Service management of a disaster site.
Responsible for providing any information useful to the identification process,
such as passenger manifests and crew information
Responsible to provide information on a continuing basis concerning the
investigation of an incident
3.2. Supporting Agencies / Divisions
3.2.1. Toronto Paramedic Services
Under the direction of the Site Incident Manager (Incident Commander) or designate,
Toronto Paramedic Services will be responsible for the following:
Mass Fatality ESF – November 2014
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Coordinate response procedures with the other emergency services
Provide emergency medical response as required
Identify deceased patients as part of the triage process
3.2.2. Office of Emergency Management
Under the direction of the Site Incident Manager (Incident Commander) or designate,
the Office of Emergency Management will be responsible for the following:
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Coordinate through the EOC to setup the family assistance centre if required
3.2.3. Strategic Communications
Under the direction of the Site Incident Commander, Strategic Communications will:
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Activate the Emergency Information and Media Relations Emergency Support
Function
Coordinate information management and media relations at the family assistance
centre
3.2.4. Funeral Service Association of Canada
Under the direction of the Chief Coroner, the Funeral Service Association of Canada will
be responsible for the following:

As an assistance group to the Coroner’s office, local funeral directors will provide
needed supplies, equipment, vehicles, and personnel as available. The funeral
directors association may also assist in identifying other necessary resources.
Mass Fatality ESF – November 2014
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Revision History – Mass Fatality
Revision Name of Contributor
Number
1.0
Toronto Police Service
2.0
3.0
4.0
Summary Of Changes
Revision Date

Revision
November 2008
Revision
Reformatting to revised
ESF Template
September –
October 2012
Incorporate comments
from Supporting
Agencies
Final Draft
Incorporate changes with
OEM integration with
former SSHA
January 24, 2013
B. Neadles (Toronto

Police Service), J.

Smysnuik and W. Banon
(OEM)
Toronto Police Service,

J. Smysnuik (OEM)
Toronto Police Service,
J. Smysnuik (OEM)


5.0

6.0

7.0

Mass Fatality ESF – November 2014
November, 2014