At Columbia Heights Elementary School on Wednesday, police and firefighters knocked open doors, searched for gunmen, and rushed to save the lives of victims.
The smell and blast of gunpowder gave the scene the scent and sound of a real gunfight.
But it wasn’t real. It was one of many scenarios during a six-day active shooter training session, which police and fire personnel used to test their inter-department communication and readiness for one of the worst kinds of calls they can receive.
About 15 Longview police officers participated along with about seven firefighters from the Longview Fire Department. Police and fire personnel are using the school for training more crews of police, including several Kalama officers, through Saturday.