Firefighters are known for putting out fires and taking people to the hospital, but they also take tactical courses to help keep residents safe. Those courses include trench, collapsed building and ropes rescue courses.

On Thursday morning, rescue crews from Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro all took on Tier Three training, which is the highest level the state offers in ropes tactical rescue.

Each firefighter was able to go from building to building as well as dropping down in between the buildings, simulating something like a river rescue.

"In this type of training, and the time of these men and women, they are not on duty right now, they're off duty. And they're donating their time, and I can't tell you the number of practices they've had that I've been to where they're there on their own time," says Charlie Chenault, with the Harrisonburg City Council.

After 9-11, the government began offering more funding for firefighters to train in tactical courses.