DALTON, Ga. -- Firefighters in oxygen masks carefully trudged toward a truck believed to be leaking toxic fumes.
The goal was to retrieve injured passengers. Slowly, firefighters strapped a dummy into a wagon and wheeled it to safety, while others rescued endangered onlookers during a hazardous chemical drill Wednesday in downtown Dalton.
Lights from fire engines, police cars and ambulances lit up the area near railroad tracks as local, state and federal safety workers helped the injured and cleaned up a mock chemical spill.
"Hazardous material events don't happen very often, but when they do they usually result in lots of injuries and sometimes fatalities," Dalton Fire Department Deputy Chief Gary Baggett said. "It's important we test our capabilities and work out any problems."
The three-hour drill started about 9 a.m. Police arrived first at the scene, which portrayed a truck-train collision that leaked toxic chemicals into the air.
Bystanders -- volunteers from a Dalton High School class -- were the first to be taken to safety. Dummies serving as injured passengers were rescued and given medical treatment.
A monitoring device was used to identify the imaginary chemical fumes before large tarps were laid across the ground and small wading pools set on them.
"We immediately drop the hose line," Baggett said, so that firefighters and others on the scene can wash off any spilled chemicals they touched. "[Then] all the tarps collect the runoff from the wash."
The fire department's hazardous chemicals team holds numerous drills each year, but this drill encompassed all the agencies in Whitfield County, he said.
Though the chilly air made the work cumbersome, safety workers said the drill was an overall success and allowed them to identify areas in which to improve.
On Dec. 14, all safety agencies involved in the drill will meet and debrief on what parts of the plan need work and what was done correctly, Baggett said.
"We'll always find little things we can do a whole lot better," Dalton police officer Steve Zahn said.
Within the police department, officers found problems with communication when trying to evacuate nearby businesses, Zahn said.
The key is being able to pinpoint where the chemicals are going so officers don't rush people into dangerous areas, he said.
Health officials also were present to learn how to better respond during dangerous spills.
"We're trying to get an idea of how things go," said Chad Mulkey, Whitfield County's environmental health manager.
The hazardous chemical teams identify the spill, while the health officials make sure proper shelter is provided for bystanders or residents who have to be evacuated, he said.