ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — While many were asleep on Saturday, officers were training for the worst-case scenario at MARTA’s West End Station.

Every year, the transit service teams up with agencies like Grady EMS and Atlanta Fire Rescue, staging a full-scale emergency to prepare responders for real-life crises.

They train for anything and everything, from suspicious packages to active shooter drills. Members of the public can volunteer to be mock victims and aggressors.

“We had a drone situation where drones were spraying an unknown substance on individuals in the station and we partnered with our fire and rescue team decontamination team to make sure all their equipment was in order and how we process those individuals as we move forward,” MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher said.

During one of the most intense moments of the night, a smoke device actually caught on fire on board a MARTA bus.

“These are the kind of things that in reality happen all the time and we were able to practice that again,” Chief Kreher said.

Kreher said he wants to make sure his officers are ready to handle anything that may come their way, from daily incidents to high-traffic events like the upcoming World Cup.

“We’ve been going through tabletops and exercises for months now in preparation for FIFA,” he said.

MARTA will now review what worked and what didn’t, fine-tuning their response before the next emergency.

“It continues to sharpen the spirit, we always practice and perfect practice makes perfect so we want to continue to do as best we can and continue to have these exercises to hone our skills and to make sure we’re ready when we’re needed in real life,” Kreher added.