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The Reno Air Races are still months away, but local first responders gathered Tuesday to make a plan in case of an emergency at this year's event.
More than 20 different agencies came together at the Regional Emergency Operations Center to fine-tune their response plan. They do this every two years, and said a big part of it us just getting to know one another.
"When you have an emergency, and I get on scene and I recognize you, and I remember what we talked about in June, that's huge," Reno Fire Department Division Chief Tim Spencer said.
Representatives from law enforcement, fire services, REMSA, local governments, and weather services joined in on the tabletop exercise. The scenario they simulated was a mass casualty event in which a plane crashes into a gas tanker, causing an explosion and about 150 injuries. They went through their process step-by-step to identify any hiccups or areas that need better preparation.
These groups held a similar drill in the months before the 2011 Air Races crash, and they say that was a huge help in the response that day.
"You have to plan the worst case scenario so that you have the best case outcome in one of those situations," Reno Air Racing Association Chairman John Agather said. "So this is planning for what you hope will never happen."
Agather said that there are no major safety changes planned for the event this year.
