Crews Practice Emergency Drills Before Light Rail Opening

Here's the scenario: It's rush hour and explosion just happened at a nearby chemical plant that caused a lightrail train to derail up there.

That's when Charlotte firefighters, police and medic quickly arrive on the scene to help rescue the people stuck inside the train.

That was one of the drills that was performed at Sunday's drill training. This is not the first time CATS officials have put these type of drills together. But it is the first time that emergency responders had to deal with a lightrail track above ground.

Capt. Rob Brisley with the Charlotte Fire Department said, "If you can get out into an environment like this ahead of time, you're going to have the confidence factor, you're going to understand how your equipment works, more importantly, how your people perform."

After the crews finished with the drill, each department got together to discuss what worked and what didn't.

CATS officials said they began planning this drill three years ago. These emergency drills are required by the federal transit administration.