WHAT HAPPENS DURING CODE RED?

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - What if this morning's awakening included a Code Red security alert - or worse, the news that the United States had gone to war in Iraq?

It is reasonable to assume that the two would go hand in hand, but what would that do to the work- and school-day scenario?

At most public places in Santa Clarita, such as the post office, banks, schools and libraries, no changes would be noticed. Other organizations would shift - some of them obviously, some of them unseen - into a special alert mode until things were normal once again.

One of the groups that would immediately become involved if war was declared would be the American Red Cross.

``We are in the business of disaster preparedness, so we're always ready,'' said Red Cross representative B.V. Castillo.

The Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services notification system is expected to kick into high gear, as the organization was charged by Congress in 1905 to act as a medium of communication between members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. That service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, toll-free at [phone].

Area schools have practiced emergency drills for various scenarios - from chemical spills to bomb threats and snipers - for several years, leaving them ready to respond to a heightened security level.

``We have a disaster plan that basically deals with any state and or national emergency,'' said Robert Nolet, superintendent for the Sulphur Springs School District in Canyon Coutry. ``We have also talked to our psychologists to help students having trauma, or students whose families are directly involved. We have counselors at all eight school sites.''

Nolet emphasized the importance of parental involvement.

``If war is declared, or in any natural disaster, the most important thing to do is offer as much comfort and reassurance as they can,'' he said. ``Especially to the youngest children, let them know that everything will be all right. Parents also should monitor and limit the amount of news coverage to which children are exposed. We as adults find it intriguing to watch CNN for 24 hours, but for kids, that can be unnerving.''

While security at College of the Canyons has increased since the threat of an attack, campus officials have no intention of shutting down the campus.

``If the nation goes to war, if the Office of Homeland Security issues a Code Red alert, our intentions are to keep the college open, unless there is a threat specific to our region that would cause us to do otherwise,'' said college spokeswoman Sue Bozman. ``Any kind of security alerts will be met by increased vigilance.''

In case of closure, the college has provisions in place with which to notify faculty and staff by using a telephone tree and postings to the college Web site.

One of the most prepared areas is the Valencia Industrial Park and Commerce Center. Kathy Norris, administrator of the Valencia Industrial Association, said that three emergency communication centers have been established for the disbursement of information. The centers are strategically located on both sides of the power lines and extend to the outlying Commerce Center near Castaic. According to Norris, a Code Red alert would activate the centers.

Norris said that VIA started its emergency preparedness program after the 1994 earthquake, opening its first center in the parking lot behind Southern California Edison's facilities on Avenue Crocker.

``As we researched the project, we found that there was a good chance that many people in the park would be isolated,`` she said. More than 1,100 businesses are located in Valencia's two industrial centers, between with more than 30,000 workers in the park at peak hours.

``It is much more likely to be a fire or tremendous accident on the freeway or toxic chemical spill that will happen,'' she continued.

Each center has a couple of ham radio operators who can respond in 30 minutes, and there is a procedures manual with a call-out structure. The ham operators would be in direct contact with the city's emergency services and the schools.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department took the lead in 1996 as one of the six public service organizations to form the Terrorism Early Warning Group. Partnering with the county fire and health services departments, the Los Angeles police and fire departments and the Los Angeles office of the FBI, the group now includes hundreds of organizations who work on preparedness and organized response to any threat to public safety.

``This is a multidisciplinary, multijurisdictional group where cops, fire and doctors work as a team,'' said Sheriff's Deputy Mark Seibel. ``We are already at a heightened state of awareness and checking potential targets. Civilians may not even notice an increased presence; in fact, they may appreciate it.''

Santa Clarita sheriff's Capt. Don Rodriguez said deputies are prepared for a Code Red threat, as well as any changes that could come along if war is declared.

``We have conducted drills to make sure we are equipped and ready to go with all our teams identified,'' he said. ``If we got intelligence reports that indicated a 12/12 schedule (12 hours on, 12 hours off) for our deputies, we would do that. There are contingencies for high-risk facilities, such as Magic Mountain, and we will continue to monitor them.

It will be service as usual at Santa Clarita's three Metrolink stations, unless there is a specific threat, spokesman Francisco Oaxaca said. Since the 2001 attacks on the East Coast, Metrolink has heightened security - regularly checking rights-of-way for anything out of the ordinary and keeping a watchful eye for anything unusual as passengers board, Oaxaca said.

The California Highway Patrol also has security precautions in place statewide, including at its Castaic Truck Inspection Facility, the state's busiest such truck stop. Dogs trained to sniff for explosives could be dispatched to the station if necessary, CHP officials said.

As the state's police force, the Highway Patrol would operate on ``maximum capacity,'' calling in extra officers, said Officer Ron Burch, a CHP spokesman. Terror alerts prompt CHP inspections of California's bridges, waterways - including the state aqueducts, power grids and state buildings.

Santa Clarita City Manager Ken Pulskamp was optimistic that Santa Clarita would remain one of the nation's top 10 safest cities.

``The Homeland Security has now developed the alert system to the point where they would not heighten the level across the whole nation as they have in the past, but would increase the level in specific areas based on the perceived threat or actual threat,'' Pulskamp said.

``Santa Clarita is not considered one of those high-threat locations.''

At Magic Mountain, spokesman Andy Gallardo said that park officials keep in constant communication with the local sheriff's department as well as state and federal officials.

``It depends on the situation,'' Gallardo said. ``We have increased our security in some areas; we have a bigger presence in the backstage area and parking lot and use metal detectors at the gate. We don't anticipate any problems, but again, it depends on the situation.''

County and city parks would stay open and, in the event of an emergency, may provide shelter in case of an attack.

``Every park has emergency coordinators who, in the event of a disaster, know who to call and how to react,'' said Karen Grant, the assistant director of the north county parks facilities. ``Should we have any emergency, the parks could act as centers for the community in the event there was a need. We work closely with the community and the Red Cross to provide comfort and care.

``We hope that this doesn't happen, but if it does, we're ready.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Radio operator Lou Page runs an antenna to a ham radio inside a trailer to be used as an emergency communications center.

(2) Lou Page adjusts the settings on a ham radio in an emergency communications trailer, one of three set up by volunteers in the Valencia Industrial Center.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer