PHOTOS: Volunteers don fake blood, bullet wounds and more for VCU active shooter drill

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A lifelike active-shooter training exercise began on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus at 10 a.m. Wednesday, but before the official start, more than 200 volunteers showed up early to get ready to play their part in the training.

The volunteers were prepped to roleplay as bystanders to the imitation shooting, with jugs of fake blood, mock bullet holes and a variety of injuries applied cosmetically by members of the Old Dominion EMS Alliance — a Virginia nonprofit designated to assist in the development and implementation of efficient and effective EMS services by the Virginia Board of Health.

To further aid in the training, volunteers were given tags to wear that provided first responders with additional information on the victim’s imaginary status in the mock active shooting. The tags included the shooting victim’s location inside the building, their current status of responsive or unresponsive, any potential injuries, and their vitals — including pulse, blood pressure and respiration rate.

The goal of Tuesday’s training was to give local law enforcement, first responders and emergency management and communication teams a chance to practice a coordinated response to an emergency event at a VCU facility. The exercise took nearly eight months to plan and was the first one organized since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The training was scheduled to take place at the University Student Commons from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the latest.