Pitchess, COC warn locals of alarm, fireworks drills

The Santa Clarita Valley might be a little noisier Thursday, as a pair of emergency drills are expected to light up the sky and hit the eardrums.

In Castaic

In Castaic, the Pitchess Detention Center is testing its alarms at 11 a.m., which is expected to send a loud wailing cry throughout parts of Castaic for about 15 minutes.

Capt. Mike Davis, who works at the North County Correctional Facility, described the noise as similar to “the old World War II air raid sirens,” with a wailing up and down pitch.

The facility is only testing its siren, in anticipation of an actual drill at the facility that’s expected to take place over the summer.

The facility is troubleshooting all of its equipment ahead of the drill to make sure it works, Davis said.

There are also locations just outside the facility that will also be impacted, including Fire Station No. 149 and the Castaic Sports Complex, which have the sirens, as well.

Near College of the Canyons

A couple hours later, public safety experts with the Los Angeles County Fire Department will be training at College of the Canyons, in what also is expected to be one of the noisier safety efforts.

A fireworks demonstration for fire safety is scheduled to take place between 1-3 p.m. in the parking lot of the College of the Canyons’ Valencia campus parking lot. There will be a class in the morning beforehand.

The training will be for fire captains and inspectors, in order to train in fire prevention with fireworks, according to Maria Grycan, community service representative for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Approximately, 50 to 100 aerial fireworks will be launched near COC, and all residents are encouraged to keep all sensitive pets indoors while the drill takes place.

“(The drill is) very important for people who will, ultimately, be assigned to actual firework displays,” Grycan said.