Could the Atlanta airport handle a large-scale emergency like a major plane crash?

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - A large-scale emergency response drill at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport aimed to prepare first responders for the worst.

Wednesday's simulation was much like a school simulation in which a district partners with local police and a fire crew in case of a school shooting, or another horrendous situation. Atlanta's airport is required to run these drills.

The mangled aircraft, numerous flashing lights and groans from people on the ground weren't an indication of an actual attack or crash on the tarmac. Instead, it was textbook "organized chaos," with a clear purpose: to protect the people in and around Atlanta's airport.

"It's vital we do this, so we can work with other emergency responders across the region to make sure we maintain safety and stability," Hartsfield-Jackson spokesperson Andrew Gobeil said.

The FAA mandates these emergency response drills. Hartsfield-Jackson representatives told FOX 5 the first step in the practice is ensuring the airport quickly notifies everyone in metro Atlanta.

Airport drill: How does Hartsfield-Jackson handle large-scale emergencies?

"We'll communicate out to the public and say, ‘Stay away from the airport,' ‘Come to the airport,’ 'Here's where you're going to go and here's how you'll deal with all of this,'" Gobeil said.

This year's practice was just over an hour long, and featured a mock-aircraft fire which required simulated help from Atlanta police and fire.

"Now that we're done, we'll go back, investigate this, look over this to determine what works, what didn't work and make sure something like this doesn't happen," he said.

Crews told FOX 5 an emergency this large would force Fire Station 33 to operate as a makeshift hospital as people received treatment. More than 100 volunteers acted as "victims," covered in "cuts, scrapes and bruises" that a makeup artist manufactured.

"We acted like we really were in pain or hurt. It all contributes to the rush, to make it feel like real chaos our crews would experience," volunteer Tom Dobberke said.

The next simulation won't happen for another three years, but airport security said they're confident in their abilities to tackle the unknown.