BARABOO, Wis. -- Some local emergency responders got a lesson in preparedness on Monday night directly from crews who responded to the Minneapolis bridge collapse three months ago.

First-responders shared their stories with about 50 Illinois and Wisconsin EMS professionals in Baraboo on Monday night, WISC-TV reported.

"You don't train to go through a 100-foot embankment, going in waist- or chest-deep of water, and extricate people," said first-responder Jeff Lanenberg. "That's stuff you can't dream up in the movies half the time, but we did it that day."

Many local responders said they turned out to hear the firsthand accounts from EMTs who lived through the Interstate 35W bridge collapse that killed 13 people.

"Being from a smaller area, we don't have a lot of these big-city incidents, but I think I'm going to pick up a lot of good ideas from these people," said Lincoln County EMS Doug Duchac.

One of the lessons learned from the bridge collapse is to strengthen connections with other emergency agencies. Crews said it's vital networking in a major disaster, WISC-TV reported.