Free Drinks: Metagenics Inc. has been testing...

Free Drinks: Metagenics Inc. has been testing a high-performance sport drink on firefighters in Laguna Beach, Fountain Valley and Brea during recent months to determine whether the product, called Enduro, extends endurance.

But Jeff Katke, president of the San Clemente-based nutritional products company, wasn’t thinking of product testing Friday when he sent 2,000 packets of the drink powder to fatigued Los Angeles and Long Beach firefighters.

“We felt that it was exactly what they (firefighters) needed,” he said. “When we realized how hard the firemen were working up there and how many hours they were on the job, we decided to pitch in.”