Power Tools Donated to L.A. Firefighters

For firefighters, the collapse of the Northridge Meadows Apartments tested not just mettle but hardware as well.

It was the latter that was found lacking, said Capt. Craig Morrison of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team.

In the confined space, the heavy gas-powered tools used to break through the floor to reach victims spewed fumes, and were deafeningly noisy. Rescuers had to wrestle with unwieldy saws to free human bodies from the rubble.

So for Morrison, it was sheer good fortune when Makita U.S.A., the La Mirada-based tool distributor, announced it was interested in donating to the cause of earthquake relief.

The company quickly dispensed with the idea of sending money, said Makita Senior Vice President Pat Griffin.

Instead, the firm invited rescue officials to go catalogue shopping, leafing through the firm’s list of products to find exactly what they wished they had in Northridge on Jan. 17.

The result? Morrison found himself looking over $20,000 worth of new state-of-the-art electric power tools in a donation ceremony at Fire Department offices in Sherman Oaks on Thursday.

“At Northridge Meadows, there wasn’t enough room to work with the traditional tools. We made do with what we had--with hand saws and stuff like that,” Morrison said. The new, electric-powered tools are quieter, pollution-free and easier to handle, he said.

“You can have more finesse with tools. In Northridge, we were cutting wooden structural materials right off of people. I mean, for that, you really need something precise,” Morrison said.

Makita’s gift included two 3,500-watt generators, circular saws, reciprocating saws and a chain saw. Makita has also offered to provide servicing and training to the Fire Department.