LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The breathtaking rescue of a woman from the cab of a semi dangling from the 2nd Street Bridge last week has been seen around the world, but it's the unseen training that Louisville firefighters undergo that made it possible. 

Poise under pressure. That's what Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden exhibited as he followed his training while being lowered by a rope to a trapped semi driver whose big rig nearly plunged from the 2nd Street Bridge last Friday following a multi-vehicle collision. 

It seemed like a scene out of a movie, but it was real life. Assistant Fire Chief Col. Clarence Gamble said the skill displayed wasn't a fluke: they undergo extensive training for high-angle rescues all the time, but it was the first time they put it into practice. 

"We've talked about this," Gamble said. "This is not something we have never talked about talking about having to do something like that but actually putting it into action was like 'wow, this is really going to happen.'"

The bridge was shut down in both directions.

Gamble is a few months into his new role of assistant chief, and he oversees the training exercises for firefighters. 

"I'm over the safety and training," he said. "A lot of the stuff these guys are doing I've been there. I'm assigned to this company. I'm a rope technician as well so its been a fun-filled couple of months."

Gamble says their unit is part of a specialty company and they are trained in the areas of hazmat, trench dive, confined space and ropes.

He said Carden trains in a firehouse known for intense training.

"It all starts in the initial rope school," Gamble said. "Whenever we are going through our certification process, we start getting our mental checklist down of here's what we need to do."

That thought process was put into action when the call came in while firefighters were away from the fire station. 

Carden said he and other fire crews were "a little behind the 8-ball" when the first calls came in about the semitruck.

"We were at Kroger at 35th and Portland when we get the call and we had to hightail it back to quarters, get the rescue van and rescue truck, and then figure out what we had."

Carden said they needed to decide if they would head for a boat on the river or to the bridge. They decided on the bridge. 

"We made the right choice, and I was the guy in the back of the rescue, so a lot of people have asked 'how did you know you were going to be the guy?' I was like at that point we were so split up that I was the only guy in the back of the rescue."

Col. Gamble described the technique Carden used to rescue the driver. 

"We call that a low angle rescue," Gamble said. "There's not a lot of places where we can truly set up and do a low angle rescue because the way the ladder was over the bridge and below grade, that in itself made it more difficult."

Carden emphasized that Friday's rescue was a team effort, and firefighters who responded to the Second Street Bridge are part of a specialty company trained in hazardous materials, trench rescues, working in confined spaces, rope skills and diving.

Carden said that training, along with being mentored by senior firefighters during his six years with the department is what made the difference.

"I've had senior firefighters that I've looked up to, I've had captains that have taught me well and I just happened to be the guy," Carden said. "You know they've always said 'be ready because you might be that guy in that position' and that day I was."

Gamble said Louisville Fire is always looking for a few good men and women. CLICK HERE if you'd like to apply. 

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