Dozens of firefighters are going through a drill in San Jose where they practice shoring-up a collapsed building so they can rescue people trapped inside.
"It provides the semi-permanent stability so they can be sure there isn't going to be further collapse as they make entry into the rubble," San Jose Fire Department Battalion Chief Allison Cabral said. "It is very critical for firefighters to be safe so they don't become victims themselves."
The drills will continue for the next three days. Officials say the timing of them, just after the massive quakes in Haiti and Chile, is just a coincidence.
The department conducts two major earthquake drills each year.
