Yelling “fire” when there’s no fire is never funny, but it can be helpful, as long as there’s a plan and a purpose.

Emergency responders participated in a planned disaster Wednesday, screaming of worse things than just fire.

The team of actors, reactors and reviewers staged an elaborate tragedy at the Natchez High School football stadium, claiming it had collapsed, trapping and injuring many.

The drill gave the Natchez Fire Department, Natchez Police Department, AirEvac and Natchez Regional Medical Center a chance to test their reaction times, review their abilities and adjust for when, heaven forbid, a real tragedy occurs.

Wednesday’s was, of course, the best kind of disaster there is. Next time, the calls likely won’t be fake ones, and the emergency responders will need to be ready.

We hope the real-time details they saw this week will help each agency tinker plans and be more than ready when tragedy strikes.

In the meantime, someone should consider contacting a few movie producers about the actors — students from Natchez High and Alcorn State University — who let their dramatic sides emerge Wednesday in the name of research.

It’s good to know we’ve got local residents ready to pitch in all in the name of preparation.