BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Lights in the sky were not UFOs

Strange lights in the sky over the waters off of Orange County beaches Wednesday night caused numerous witnesses to call the Harbor Patrol wondering what was going on. But it turned out to be a military operation involving flares and a helicopter, authorities said.

Even Harbor Patrol officials were uncertain about the lights reported all the way from Dana Point to Huntington Beach, Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol Deputy William Nelson said.

“We get flare sightings all the time, but usually not over that big of an area,” he said. “So we dispatched two fireboats to investigate, and our dispatcher made several phone calls.”

Some even wondered whether they were UFOs, Nelson added. But the answer was slightly more down to earth.

A call to the Coast Guard revealed that a military helicopter out of Camp Pendleton was part of military exercises firing flares out in coastal waters, he said. As a result, the Harbor Patrol canceled its call to the boats and began informing callers what had happened.

Volunteers needed for homeless count

The Point-In-Time Orange County homeless count and survey, set to take place Jan. 25 and 26, is still seeking volunteers to help count the county’s homeless population.

The project helps guarantee the receipt of more than $10 million in federal funding to maintain local homeless services, such as shelters and soup kitchens.

Each volunteer must attend a training session before the count, with the final sessions taking place now through Jan. 24 at the O.C. Partnership office, 139 S. Olive St., Orange.

Sessions are held weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will be instructed in interview and safety procedures.

For more information, visit www.pointintimeoc.org.