DENVER -- Citing incredible timing, Denver's emergency responders got their first major disaster training session since learning they would be responsible for helping protect the Democratic National Convention.

"And I thought it was extremely well done," said Al LaCabe, Denver's Manager of Safety.

Held in Emmitsburg, Maryland at the Emergency Management Institute, FEMA trainers put 75 staffers through fast-paced classroom drills for four days in August.

It was not the first time Denver contemplated trouble at the DNC.

"But what it does, better than anything we've done thus far, is put everyone in the room," LaCabe said.

Denver staffers weren't alone, either.

They worked alongside state and federal counterparts.

"They have people on board right now. We've had meetings already started. It was well done," Gen. Mason Whitney, Colorado's Homeland Security Coordinator said after attending.

"Timing was absolutely fantastic," said Justin DeMello, Director of Denver's Office of Emergency Management.

They had asked for the federal grant months before learning they would host the D-N-C in August of 2008.

They had to try to predict what types of disasters to prepare for.

And, in another ironic twist, chose two events that actually happened before they arrived in Maryland: An airport bombing, as happened in late June in Glascow, Scotland and an event similar to a bridge collapse, as we saw tragically unfold in Minnesota in August.

"If it were to happen here, I feel confident, after Emmitsburg, especially after Emmitsburg, I feel confident we're going to have an appropriate response to an event like that," DeMello said.

The focus was anything from weather related problems to terrorism and forced police, fire and other agencies to use rapid decision-making.

"Sometimes indecision costs lives because we can't move forward. The goal here was to create that atmosphere of trust amongst the team and create the atmosphere that we have to do, at all costs, anything we can to support the field operations. Because, ultimately, they save lives," DeMello said.

Mayor John Hickenlooper has been briefed on the project, which many call a success.

"And the relationship that we built amongst the team that went out there, you can't put a dollar figure to that." (:05) And success on big events is the relationship of the people within that event," DeMello said.

"We don't know who that person is behind the office. Who it is you're going to be working with. And that was very valuable to have," LaCabe said.

Security for the DNC will be headed by the Secret Service, after the Dept. of Homeland Security designated the convention a National Security Special Event.