Victims covered in blood ran out of the doors of Grove City High School Saturday afternoon as police and emergency medical technicians stormed the building.

There wasn't a catastrophe at the school however; it was practice in case of an emergency. A simulated school shooting was staged to help emergency personnel know what to do in the event that they would have to respond to the real thing.

Doug Dick of Superior Ambulance organized the training. Twelve of Superior Ambulance's staff are part of a tactical emergency medical team that is training to render aid under very dangerous circumstances such as gun fire or a hostage situation, Dick said.

The trainees have gone through classroom teaching from HSS International of California, and Saturday allowed them to put their training to the test, Dick said. HSS International is a group that include members of the military, SWAT teams and federal agents who teach local law enforcement how to handle dangerous situations, Dick said.

About 60 volunteer victims, some with wounds, were set up throughout the school, and volunteers also posed as the shooters. Besides personnel from Superior Ambulance, members of the Grove City police, Grove City College Campus Safety, the Butler County Sheriff's office, the Jefferson County Sheriff's office and the New Middletown, Ohio, police all participated in the training.

Two separate incidents were staged to give rescue workers the chance to practice the skills they learned in the classroom.

"I think it's a very necessary practice," Grove City Patrolman Rob Steese said. He added he wishes more police departments would have participated in the training.

The drill was a very valuable learning experience, James R. Thompson, director of Mercer County Public Safety Department, said. He said the exercise helped every-one learn how to communicate better with each other to coordinate efforts during an emergency situation.

Becky Wong and Hannah Fischer, both Grove City College students, acted as victims for the exercise.

"I think it's really important that they (the emergency personnel) do this," Miss Wong said. Ms. Fischer said the police seemed to take the training very seriously and treated the "victims" like it was a real situation.

John Huppee, an instructor with HSS International, said the trainees did a good job working together. He said it's important to practice dealing with a dangerous situation in a controlled environment so if law enforcement officials have an idea of what to do in a real situation.

"We've gotten a lot of support," Dick said of the training. "I've been doing this for 25 years, and no matter how organized you think you are, when something happens and you have multiple agencies showing up, things fall apart real fast."

This is the first time there's ever been a simulated school shooting, and Dick said it was a learning process. He said he thinks everyone learned a lot, and he hopes they never have to put their training to use.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com