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Crash Site Responders Recount First Plane Crash Call

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It was the moment they had been preparing for years – a plane crash. And a few months ago fire truck 24 got their first one. Their response, unknown to them, was recorded.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when the call came in. Everyone's ears perked up as the alarm went over their radios.

"Attention, possible plane hit a house," the dispatcher said.

Firefighter Rod Chase jumped in his firetruck and pulled out of the station at Miami Executive Airport.

"We could see the column of smoke, so we knew that it was for real," said Chase.

CLICK HERE To Watch David Sutta's Report 

The firefighters of truck 24 had been preparing for this moment for years – their first plane crash ever.

Chief Stephen Kilby explained how that was possible.

"The problem that we have here, and it's a very two edged sword, because fortunately we don't have many.  But then when we do get one, we really don't have the experience to draw from. All we have are in essence, props that we use," he said.

In the chaos, firefighters from all over started responding, but they are all at least 20 minutes away.  And there is confusion on how to get to the crash site.

In the radio calls recorded that day you can hear responding firefighters trying to figure it out.

"They can come off Krome. This is right on Krome," one firefighter is heard saying.

Captain J.C. Garrandes and Chase were on truck 24 and the closest unit to the crash.

However, they had to take a chance on a shortcut to get there. They drove down a bumpy dirt road.  The calculated risk paid off. They got there nearly 10 minutes before everyone else.

As the truck pulled up, witnesses were capturing the wreckage on their cell phones and recorded the firefighters' actions.

It was a difficult situation.

Not only do they have to attack the fire, the plane had clipped a power pole. There were power lines on the ground.

Captain Garrandes explained how serious the situation is.

"If you don't catch them and you step on them or you come in contact with them it could be fatal," he said.

Calm, as if they've done this before, everyone handled the situation.

CBS4 showed the firefighters the footage weeks after the incident. The crew had never seen the footage.

Chief Kilby watched as the truck pulls up.

"It all boils down to this right here," he said.

The plane, a Beechcraft 1900, seats 18. Over the radio the desperate search for survivors could be heard.

"We haven't spotted any victims at this point," a firefighter reported back.

Watching the video, Chase shakes his head.

"The fire that was in there, there was no way anyone could survive that," he said.

By the time the fire was out they discovered four bodies inside the split wreckage.

A firefighter reported back over the radio, "We do have four confirmed souls on board. We did find them."

On board were Venezuelan nationals who had come to Miami for airplane parts and maintenance on the plane.

A few weeks after the crash the firefighters of truck 24 went back to the crash site.

Chase told CBS4, "I haven't been out here since."

The site has been completely dug up since the crash. Hundreds of gallons for jet fuel hauled away to be incinerated.

The firefighters got a little choked up when they noticed a makeshift memorial at the base of nearby tree.

"The human side takes over. The family. Do they have kids? Who's expecting them on the other side? Who say them take off and saw this happen? It does get to you but you can't let it get to you," said Garrandes.

In the post analysis of the crash Miami-Dade Fire Rescue found their response was spot on.

Chief Kilby confirmed, "If there was anything that was going to be done that day, it would have been done thanks to their response."

A year ago Miami Executive Airport didn't even have a fire truck, despite it being the fifth busiest private plane airport in the country.

"There are over 800 flights a day here. A lot of them are training flights, but nonetheless they are flights," said Garrandes.

The airport is home to several flight schools. That means a majority of the pilots here are rookies.

Garrandes said that doesn't mean more crashes though.

"Anyone can make a mistake. A student is more prone to make a mistake. But they do have an instructor sitting next to them." he said.

Seeing the growth of the airport, this past October the county dedicated a fire truck at Miami Executive as a precaution.

Garrandes likens it to insurance.

"The fire department is like insurance. You hope you never need it, but we are there when you do," he said.

And although they couldn't save lives this time around, next time may be different.

"It all came together at that one moment. Even though we weren't able to salvage any lives but it lets us go to sleep at night. Hey, the next one we are ready."  Kilby said.

The NTSB continues to investigate the cause of the crash.

Early indications are the pilot had engine failure and was trying to land the plane quickly. He might have made it had he not clipped the power pole. Witnesses describe the impact with the power lines as an instant explosion.

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