Fresno first responders testing skills in simulated plane crash

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- There were flashing lights and first responders at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Wednesday morning. The control tower put out a call for a plane down with 43 passengers, "we have a turbo prop, 30 souls on board."

Inside the plane, a cry for help, "get me out of here," a passenger said.

It was a chaotic scene, unfolding in real time, like the real thing but it was just a drill. Dennis Hart, a volunteer with the Community Emergency Response Team stumbled out of the plane, pretending to be in pain, "oh my back, it's killing me," he said.

Hart was one of 43 volunteers playing the role of an injured passenger, "while we're playing that role, we're also looking at the responders to say ok, this is how the real people do it," he added.

In a real disaster, Hart would be on the opposite side. He would be helping the injured, the distressed, the firefighters and police, "we would provide assistance, we would do crowd control and we would help people who need triage."

Pete Martinez, with the Fresno Fire Department says it's a lesson in teamwork for all in the agencies involved, "coming together, we see how each one of us works together, how each one operates and it prepares us for a real world emergency."