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PARKERSBURG - Local emergency officials played out a worst-case scenario Tuesday evening during a drill at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

The drill began around 5 p.m. and included a large number of area emergency responders, including police, fire and medical personnel, said Connie Dziagwa, WVU-P spokeswoman.

The event included simulations of an explosion, a chemical attack and gunmen, organizers said. Students and faculty are on spring break this week and were not on campus for the drill.

Organizers said they believe the drill went well and was a learning experience. Officials planned to meet afterwards for a debriefing in order to learn as much as possible from the training exercise. Organizers said they planned to discuss what worked and what could have been done better.

"It's obviously designed for us to keep the campus as safe as we possibly can. It's an opportunity for our partners in doing that to work together and review what works and what doesn't works," Dziagwa said. "It's about keeping the campus safe. That's paramount."

The mock incident involved three gunmen carrying out a brutal attack on the school's Caperton Center. At the start of the drill, 911 dispatchers from Wood County Central Telecommunications reported an explosion at the school with injuries.

Firefighters from the East Wood Volunteer Fire Department and other departments responded to the scene and began a firefighting and rescue approach. The firefighters who entered the Caperton Center's front door were immediately "gunned down" by the men inside.

One of the bad guys, played by Brad McGee, even took a radio off of one of the fallen firefighters and impersonated a first responder. He reported casualties at the front door in an effort to lure more responders into an ambush. In addition to several firefighters, other casualties included a responding Wood County sheriff's deputy who was "shot" coming in the front door.

Tactical police units from several agencies responded to the scene, and the Wood County Sheriff's Department helicopter began circling the building. By this time, reports over the radio indicated a "styrene chemical explosion" and "gunmen" inside the building.

Officers from the Wood County Sheriff's Department S.W.A.T. team entered the school, causing McGee to retreat to another area of the building. Wood County S.W.A.T. officers were joined by Parkersburg Police Department S.W.A.T. officers and the Vienna Police Department's special response team.

In addition to facing the gunmen, S.W.A.T. officers were the first to reach numerous hysterical victims, many of whom were "severely injured" by the bomb detonation and chemical gas. WVU-P students in special-effects makeup played the role of the victims. Several screamed and pleaded to first responders for help to add to the realism of the event. Tactical officers had to drag several injured victims to safety to allow paramedics safe access to them.

Two of the bad guys, including McGee, were apprehended after fleeing from the building and into the nearby wood line. Officers in the helicopter tracked the suspects, who were apprehended by police on the ground.

The third gunman holed up in an upstairs class room, prompting a response by the Parkersburg Police Department's crisis negotiation team, which responded to the scene. The officers responded and quickly set up communications with the gunman in the room. However, S.W.A.T. officers neutralized the gunman when an opportunity presented itself.

The drill also included a sweep of the Caperton Center by bomb dogs and handlers, a triage area and a hazardous materials decontamination center.

Other participating organizations included Wood County Emergency Services, West Virginia State Police, the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, the Parkersburg Fire Department, St. Joseph's Hospital and select WVU-P students and staff. Responding volunteer fire departments included East Wood, Mineral Wells, Lubeck, Waverly, Blennerhassett and Deerwalk.