Firefighters Return to Repaired Station--and a Standing Ovation

As the earth was still bucking on the morning of Jan. 17, the firefighters of Station 70 in Northridge sped out the back door because the front one had crumpled. Nine months later they returned--to a standing ovation.

More than 100 people turned out Thursday to rededicate the renovated station and welcome back the firefighters, who had no idea how badly their home-away-from-home was damaged as they rushed to pull the living and the dead from the nearby Northridge Meadows apartments.

It was wonderful to be back, said engineer Gary Kahler.

In addition to a crowd of thankful neighbors, much of the city’s firefighting brass--as well as several elected officials--were on hand for the ceremonies at the station at 9861 Reseda Blvd.

“They are the best in the world,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson. “They lay it on the line for us every day.”

Fire Chief Donald O. Manning said: “I think firefighters are in one of the most honorable professions. . . . I can’t tell you how proud I am of them.”

Several members of the C Platoon at Station 70 were literally thrown from their bunks when the Northridge temblor--centered virtually beneath the station--hit at 4:31 that Monday morning. Those who were left in bed were buried in tiles and light fixtures, Capt. Bob Fickett said. Because the power was knocked out and there were no emergency generators, the station was as dark as the rest of the city. So the 10 men fumbled their way to the fire pole, slid down, suited up and headed out the back door.

Driving down a darkened Reseda Boulevard, none of the men at first noticed that Northridge Meadows was only two stories high instead of three. After extinguishing a nearby house fire, they drove back past the apartment complex and in the earliest light of morning could see the destruction.

Crawling into the collapsed structure as powerful aftershocks rolled through, the firefighters rescued three residents who had been trapped. They also helped remove the bodies of the 16 who died in the complex.

It was not until later that they would learn their own building had incurred $811,000 in damage and that they would have to move out, spending the next nine months at a station designed for a company a third their 30-person size.

On Thursday the firefighters were glad to be back home and their neighbors were thrilled to have them.

Al and Ruth Schwartz live next to Northridge Meadows and marveled at the speedy work of the men of Station 70 on that destructive morning.

“We came to applaud our firemen,” Ruth Schwartz said.