Hundreds of city firefighters and U.S. Marines conducted a large scale drill today simulating a joint response to terrorist attacks on buses and subways.

The drill held on Randall's Island involved use of a burned-out city bus and a subway simulator to do fake rescue missions and decontaminate individuals posing as patients.

They also cut open a vehicle to rescue people trapped inside.

"The message we're sending out here today is that the city, particularly the Fire Department is better prepared, better equipped, and better trained than we've ever been, and if there is another event in the city we'll be ready to handle it," said New York City Fire Department Commissioner Salvatore Cassano.

"When we come to New York, and work with the Fire Department of New York, we know we're training with the pros," said Colonel John Pollock. "Our marines and sailors are already trained, but it's just new techniques, new procedures, and possibly going to the next level in those different areas that really gives us that additional edge when we have to combat this type of a scenario."

Members of the FDNY worked alongside the Marines Corps' Chemical Biological Incident Response Force -- or CBIRF -- learning from each other following a mock terrorist attack in the city.

It's also a way for local and federal agencies to coordinate responses to large scale disasters.

"We actually trained the marines on some of our special operations -- confined space, hazmat trench and they've taught us a lot about decon[tamination]. One of the missions of the fire department is mass decon and that's what you see going on here now," Cassano said.

About 200 firefighters and marines took part in the exercise.