(Washington, DC) Fourteen DC firefighters will leave Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport tomorrow, September 7, 2005, for deployment in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a national call for 1,000 firefighters to respond to the disaster. The District’s firefighters will join hundreds of fire and rescue personnel from all over the country helping the region recover from the devastation. They will bring specialized skills in fire suppression, technical rescue, and emergency medical services.

All 34 DC Fire Stations are being used as collection points for donations for those who’ve been displaced by the hurricane. At this time, only toiletry items are being accepted for those evacuees who are now staying at the DC Armory. Those items include toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, shampoo, razors, shaving cream, brushes and combs, Q-Tips, toilet tissue, and dental floss.