But department officials say they intend to use frequent drills to identify problems in the response.

Crusher conducted frequent drills with her people, drills where they had to function without gravity, with poor or no light, among simulated wreckage.

Before the probe was brought to market in the fall of 2004, prototypes were distributed to members of ski patrols in Jackson Hole; they tested the 300 during their frequent search-and-rescue drills, in which they cause controlled avalanches with dynamite or mortar shells.

They know, Charnath sounded petulant, for this was a frequent drill.

Lt. Bush remained in the Texas ANG as a certified F-102 pilot who participated in frequent drills and alerts through April of 1972.

They sought then to prepare their firefighters through frequent drills and mentoring by the senior men.

Vale had suggested to Data that the frequent drills were exacerbating the already high stress and low morale aboard the Enterprise.

The North American Electric Reliability Council, or NERC, the industry group charged with preventing blackouts, says frequent drills and occasional tests for all 5,000 certified system operators keep performance at a high level.

Unlike all too many system picket commanders, Maitland believed in hard, frequent drills and battle maneuvers, and he had kept his "task group" at a far higher state of readiness than some of the other pickets could boast.