Montgomery County firefighters spent Wednesday toying with pipe cleaners, miniature cars and wire springs around a model village the size of three ping pong tables. But they were hard at work, according to Assistant Chief Michael Clemens.

County fire and rescue personnel hosted an interactive training session for an estimated 250 first responders from around the nation at a new virtual reality simulation training center that took six months and $150,000 to create at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy in Rockville.