Joe Imel/Daily News The Medical Center's Phillip Ferguson (left) of Russellville and Josh Wenzel of Bowling Green are two of four Emergency Medical Services employees heading to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The two prepared their ambulance for the trip Friday.

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Groups from all over southcentral Kentucky are beginning the arduous trek to the Gulf Coast to assist people in cities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to look at the television and see what the need is," said R. J. Henry, a retired police officer from Danbury, Conn., who's organizing hundreds of police officers to head south to help out. "These people have it tough, and the cops there have it extremely tough."

Henry, who now lives in Scottsville, has heard from police officers in Maine, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Many of them are retired, he said, but a fair share are active officers willing to take their vacation time to travel south. Although he's had some trouble getting anyone locally, he said, "I wouldn't be surprised if we had 500" show up on Sunday or Monday - he's not sure yet when they'll leave.

The average age for a police officer to retire is 45, Henry said, which is still young enough to be physically fit and skilled in policing. He's looking for people trained as paramedics, EMTs, SWAT officers and traffic directors. Their basic purpose is to relieve the officers currently working around the clock, to give them a few hours to spend with their families, eat a hot dinner or sleep, he said.

"There isn't one police skill that they don't need there," he said. "... There's a great deal of work to be done. This is not for the faint of heart, not for someone who's weak or infirm."

Because the area is so severely depressed, the officers will likely spend a week there and then return home to avoid a stress overload, Henry said. So far, the paperwork has been "a nightmare, but we're going to get it done," he said.

The Medical Center EMS

Two ambulances and six staff members are on three-hour notice, waiting to be dispatched to the southern states by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services, said Randy Fathbruckner, director of Medical Center EMS. Paramedics and EMTs are ready to spend five to seven days - maybe more, no one knows - dressing wounds, relieving other medical service workers and doing whatever else they're asked to do.

Josh Wenzel, 31, of Bowling Green and Phillip Ferguson, 22, of Russellville, are two of the six prepared to leave. They spent some time readying the two ambulances, which are outfitted to provide "advanced life support care," Fathbruckner said.

Inside one ambulance, Wenzel gestured to a few "creature comforts" the workers will enjoy: a small refrigerator and generator. They have enough supplies to be self-sufficient for a few days, Wenzel said, because they don't know if there'll be any food or water, or even shelter, waiting for them when they arrive. The equipment normally kept in the ambulance is being replaced with perishable equipment, so the workers don't have to worry about keeping track of it, he said.

Ferguson has worked for The Medical Center for about a year, he said, and was in the Air Force before that. He isn't nervous about leaving Bowling Green, because he's confident his training will serve him well. He's proud to work for The Medical Center, he added.

"It's more than a job - (my co-workers) are more like a family," he said.

Wenzel, who's been a paramedic for 10 years, said he volunteered because he knows what it's like to need help. He wants to support his southern colleagues and help the people who need it, he said.

The trip doesn't faze him at all, he said, because in his line of work, "we're faced with unknown stuff every day," he said. "... Whenever someone says go, we're ready to go."

And in the meantime, the remaining paramedics and EMTs at The Medical Center will do their part to help those who are deployed, Fathbruckner said, by feeding their pets, covering their shifts, mowing their lawns and checking in on relatives.

When these workers return, another group will be deployed, Fathbruckner said. Volunteers will likely rotate weekly until there is no more need for them.

"We feel this is just a little bit of trying to help out such a large magnitude of disaster," Fathbruckner said. "... Everybody just needs to keep all the people going down there in our prayers and blessings."

Bowling Green Fire Department

Six firefighters from the BGFD were scheduled to leave the Fairview Avenue station today at 7 a.m., bound for Atlanta, said Chief Gerry Brown. When they arrive, they'll have a brief training session and a round of vaccinations, and then it's into the flooded streets of the southern states, where the firefighters will spend approximately 30 days doing damage assessment surveys, locating victims and getting them help, handing out paperwork for federal assistance, and walking neighborhoods door-to-door to make sure people are OK, Brown said.

"I think this is all part of bringing the big picture into focus and seeing just how widespread the problems are, and helping ascertain where the needs are the greatest, and where help can be directed," Brown said.

The fire department was contacted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday and asked for help, Brown said. Finding people to go was no problem.

"Quite a few more than the six that are going stepped forward and said they wanted to assist in this effort," Brown said.

Two firefighters from each of the three shifts were chosen, so it shouldn't be a problem to cover for them, he said. FEMA will reimburse the city for the six firefighters' salaries while they're away from Bowling Green and will also reimburse travel expenses.

"Obviously, I am very proud of them, and I think I'm somewhat humbled at their willingness to suffer some personal inconvenience and sacrifice to do this," Brown said. "This is quite an investment of one's time and energy to leave home and family to help those in need.

"For all those who stepped forward, I think it shows they have an extraordinary concern for their fellow human beings, and I'm proud of them for doing that."

Greenview Regional Hospital

Greenview Regional Hospital has been alerted that it may receive some patients who are victims of Hurricane Katrina, said Chief Executive Officer Mark Marsh.

Some patients are being moved to a Nashville hospital, Marsh said. If there is not enough room there, some may come here.

Meanwhile, hospital staff also are on alert for the potential to go to hurricane-damaged areas. They are filling out the necessary paperwork and will be ready to mobilize when needed, Marsh said.

"We have employees who want to go to help," he said. "... I have had numerous people here who have asked how they can help."

HCA Healthcare Inc., which owns several hospitals across the nation including Greenview Regional Hospital, has created the Hope Fund, with $2 million to match funds given by employees, Marsh said.

"That's what they need the most - financial support," said Bill Singletary, chief nursing officer for Greenview.

Marsh said HCA has three hospitals in New Orleans, all of which had their employees and patients evacuated as of Friday.

Kentucky National Guard

Kentucky Army and Air National Guard convoys deployed from Barbourville, Bowling Green and Frankfort on Friday morning, with nearly 260 soldiers reporting to Camp Shelby, Miss., according to a release from the National Guard.

Two units will be formed: a truck company which will transport supplies and a distribution company which will give those supplies to the proper personnel. Members of Bowling Green's 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor, will join the distribution company, according to the release.

Members of the Murray-based 438th Military Police Company and members of the 123rd Security Forces squadron, located in Louisville, will head directly to New Orleans to assist security missions, according to the release.

Infrastructure

Crews from both Bowling Green Municipal Utilities and Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. have sent crews to the hurricane-hit area. WRECC sent eight employees to Laurel, Miss., to help Dixie Electric Power Association. They have also set up a relief fund within their office to help other co-ops in Mississippi and Louisiana.

- Robyn L. Minor of the Daily News contributed information to this report.

Who to call

A national volunteer bank has been set up to organize those who'd like to lend their talents and skills to the victims of Katrina. Before you head south to help, call the

volunteer bank at (800) 618-1689.