The office housing Toronto’s Emergency Operations Centre is preparing for a city under COVID-19.

Between 40 and 50 agencies are represented at the centre.

While the office has existed for some time, Toronto Fire chief Matthew Pegg told reporters Friday morning that it is an “integral” part of Toronto’s emergency preparedness.

“We deploy and use this facility on an as-required basis as situations happen throughout the city” Pegg said. The city has now moved to what it refers to as a “level two” operation, which means support staff are on site 24 hours a day.

“We’ve assembled key leaders and key decision-makers from all of the city’s divisions and agencies in order to give us the ability to ... deal with issues as they come in,” he said.

One example of the emergency planning done there is preparation for the possibility that there will be a reduction in the number of city staff available due to the outbreak.

The EOC takes updates as they become available — often by the minute, Pegg said — and disseminates the information to the city’s decision-makers.

“Any key actions that are required as a result of that happen here,” he said.