WICHITA, Kansas, Oct. 15, 2007 - This week, Wichita will host the largest disaster drill to ever take place in Kansas. It took two years of planning, and now participants are getting some hands-on training leading up to the big event. For firefighters from Kansas and other states, it's an intense three days.

"It wears you out really fast, because you're working with a lot of weight, concrete," Lt. Matt Schulte, Wichita Fire Department, said. "It's pretty heavy."

For some, it's a brand new experience; for others, it's a refresher course. Instructors from Rescue Training Associates are manning 12 stations. They're each teaching a specific skill, from cutting through concrete without injuring trapped victims, to working with crane operators.

"It's a snapshot of a longer training evolution," Chris Sorrentino, Rescue Training Associates instructor, said. "We're giving them a quick safety debriefing, tool orientation, and then we're letting them use the tools."

The firefighters will take what they learn and put it to use Friday when they take part in the mass casualty disaster scenario. It's a two day event. It'll involve hundreds of people and play out at different locations around Wichita.

"It's fun, a little nerve wracking," Chris Conover, Wichita firefighter, said. "You don't know what you're going to encounter. But it's exciting and everybody always works together, so it's not like all the pressure is on you."

Instructors and firefighters also say it's important to prepare now in case someday it isn't a drill.

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