DOVER - A line of 21 ambulances from Kent and Sussex counties were escorted by police to southern New Jersey Tuesday afternoon to help bring relief to the rescue efforts in New York City.

In all, 63 emergency medical technicians and fire rescue workers left their homes and families on Tuesday without knowing exactly what was in store or how long they would be gone.

They left knowing only that their help was desperately needed.

"It all seemed so unbelievable," said Kent County EMS Sgt. Doug Poore of Harrington.

"We don't know what exactly we're going to do. They told us to be ready for two to three days of work."

The rescue workers were mobilized by the Delaware Emergency Management Agency and met at the Delaware State Fire School west of Dover.

There, they had a short meeting to discuss their plan of action and headed north in a convoy around 5:15 p.m.

Plans called for them to be escorted via Del. 1 by the Delaware State Police. At the state line, New Jersey police would escort the convoy to the Meadowlands sports complex in East Rutherford.

The Meadowlands, which is within sight of the fallen towers of the World Trade Center, has become the center of coordination efforts for relief workers arriving from surrounding states.

From there, the Delaware workers could be assigned to any of a number of duties:

• Transporting victims from crowded New York City hospitals to outlying hospitals.
•  Relief for New York City EMS workers
• Additional support to area hospitals and support services

Most of the workers learned of the tragedy just like the rest of America - watching the events unfold on television.

And even the most experienced of paramedics were shocked by what they saw.

"Watching the news, they say that 150,000 people go in and out of the World Trade Center," Mr. Poore said. "The number of dead and injured has got to be staggering.

"As far as the scene itself, that's something that is going to be beyond belief. What do you do when you pull up? Where do you start? All those things start to pop into your mind."

Little Creek Fire Chief Michael Scott Bundek said he knew immediately when he saw the damage that local emergency personnel would be involved in some way.

And while he was prepared for the call, it didn't make things any easier.

"I'm scared," said Mr. Bundek. "We all are. It's just unnerving. Heading into any unknown situation like that always is. But somebody has to do it, so we'll go and do our best."

John Naylor of Smyrna was enjoying his day off when he got a call from his wife, who told him to turn on the television.

Mr. Naylor is a new Kent County medic who had been riding along with his field training officer and would have been released on his own for his first active duty today.

That was, until he got the call Tuesday.

"I guess (Tuesday) will be my first night now," said Mr. Naylor. "It's a heck of a way to get broken in."

But as soon as he saw all of the damage in the streets of New York City, he knew he wanted to get there to help.

"I just try to picture what might be going through the officers' mind and go through what I've learned," Mr. Naylor said. "I know there will be a lot of hurt people and the workers there will need a break."

DEMA public information officer Rosanne Pack said Tuesday that the names of all of the rescue workers cannot be released for security reasons.

But each of the 21 units was required to have exactly three rescue workers.

At their final meeting before departure, the instructions for the operation were short and to the point.

Delaware State Police Cpl. Warren McGee and Sgt. Michael Houdek, who were escorting the ambulances, informed the workers about the agenda.

They also added their best wishes and thanks.

"God bless all of you," said Sgt. Houdek. "Our thoughts and prayers are with you."

On the scene

Ambulance crews from the following communities will be assisting in rescue efforts in New York:

Blades

Bowers Beach

Bridgeville

Cheswold

Dagsboro

Frankford

Georgetown

Greensboro, Md.

Greenwood

Harrington

Hartly

Laurel

Leipsic

Marydel

Mid-Sussex

Millsboro

Millville

Roxana

Seaford

Smyrna

How to help

To donate blood: Call the Delaware Blood Bank at (888) 825-6638; the agency asks that you wait until the end of the week to call, and to schedule an appointment first.

To volunteer: Call the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula at (800) 777-6620

To locate family members in affected areas: Call the Red Cross' Family Well-Being Inquiries at (800) 777-6620.

For DEMA's Rumor Control Center: Call (302) 659-3362 or (877) 729-362.