A home of their own

Monday was drill day for Burbank Fire Department Station 11 and for

one group of firefighters that meant picking up a hammer rather than

a fire hose.

Ten firefighters from the station helped assemble the interior and

exterior walls of houses that will be shipped to Louisiana to become

the new homes for people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.

“A lot of the guys had wanted to go to Louisiana but can’t,” Fire

Capt. Jim Baldridge said. “This is one way to give directly back to

the folks beside just giving money in a basket. It’s hands-on and is

going to affect somebody’s life.”

The homes assembled this week are part of Habitat for Humanity’s

Operation Home Delivery to assist victims of the hurricanes that have

struck the Gulf and Texas coasts over the past weeks.

Volunteers in Burbank will put together the parts of 60 homes that

will be shipped to St. Tammany Parish starting Monday. Similar

building projects are taking place in New York City and Jackson,

Miss.

By week’s end, some 300 volunteers working in morning and

afternoon shifts will have taken part in the project including

Burbank city employees and those from nearby NBC Studios and Warner

Music Group, said Erin Rank, president of Habitat for Humanity of

Greater Los Angeles.

Chuck Doremus, one of three Habitat for Humanity construction

leaders who came from Lynchburg, Va., to help, called the volunteers

enthusiastic if not incredibly skilled.

“But construction like this is thousands of repetitions of the

same thing,” Doremus said. “Once you train them to do that same thing

once or twice they get it.

“We’re hoping not only do they get it on how to build a house but

they get it on what Habitat is all about,” Doremus said. “And this is

what we are here for -- to help each other out.”

The 1,100- to 1,300-square-foot homes will have up to four

bedrooms. Future residents must put in between 300 and 500 “sweat

equity” hours assembling their homes and those of their neighbors,

and pay off an interest-free loan before they become owners, said

Anna Masters, a spokeswoman for Habitat for Humanity International.

Lowe’s donated the building materials and Whirlpool is picking up

the cost to ship the completed walls, roofing and siding material to

Louisiana, Masters said.

The Bob Hope Foundation allowed the use of its property at Alameda

and Olive avenues for the construction zone.

Cheryl Frees, a coordinator in the operations department of the

Warner Music Group, said it was a great feeling to help someone get a

new house.

“I thought, ‘what a great to show your support,’” Frees said when

word went through the company of the assistance needed. “We had quite

a few people turned down because they already had enough volunteers

for the morning shift.”

Film and television actor Barry Pepper, “Days of Our Lives”

actress Patrika Darbo and Warner Bros. Records Chairman and CEO Tom

Whalley have also been among the volunteers.

* MARK MADLER covers City Hall and the courts. He may be reached

at (818) 637-3242 or by e-mail at mark.madlerlatimes.com.