In preparation for the , Metro officials together with the Culver City Fire Department held an emergency drill between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
The drill simulated an electrical fire near the station at Washington and National boulevards.
After keeping vast billows of smoke at bay with hoses, firefighters determined that a person was indeed trapped inside the substation. They then coordinated efforts and successfully extracted the "body" of a man.
For the purposes of the exercise, firefighters told Patch the "body" of the man would be handed off to Los Angles City Fire officials to be used in their drills. In normal circumstances, the person would normally be transported to UCLA medical hospital.
Also on site at the drill was Santa Monica Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Davis, who told Patch he was attending to gain some insight into the drills ahead of the opening of the Expo Line to Santa Monica.
"We'll be doing this very soon with testing on the line to Santa Monica," Davis said. "So it was a good idea to come down here and check it out."
Phase II of the Expo Line is scheduled to open in Santa Monica by 2015.
