MANSFIELD - While Gulf Coast residents were evacuating their homes in anticipation of hurricanes, three town firefighters were leaving their own homes to travel to the area and help out.

Fire Lt. Marc Goyette and firefighters Bruce Naslund and Gerry McNamara traveled to Atlanta and Richmond, Va., early last month to prepare for three hurricanes that would end up hitting the area.

The men were part of FEMA's Massachusetts Task Force, a group of firefighters from New England who are deployed to disasters across the country to assist local emergency personnel.

On their recent deployment, the Massachusetts team was one of 18 deployed from different areas of the country. While they weren't called to action, the three men were ready to help local departments with search and rescue missions, should the need have arisen.

"We're there for them," Goyette said. "Whatever they need us to do, we do." The men were away from their families for 13 days, training and preparing to be called into action. Goyette said he originally wasn't supposed to be deployed, but was called into service at the last minute.

"I had to make a call to my wife and say, 'I'm going, don't know when I'm coming home. I love you. Bye,'" Goyette said.

Naslund was the first at the department to become involved in the task force, volunteering his time after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Before this year, he had previously been deployed after the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Ernesto in 2006.

Joining the Mansfield men in the Massachusetts group were firefighters from North Attleboro, Norton, Foxboro and Walpole.

"It's widespread in this area," Goyette said. "There's quite a few guys from the area on the team."

The men all agreed that the decision to join the task force came from a desire to help people in need, and their only regret was that they didn't get to do more.

"When we went down there, we wanted to work," Goyette said.

MATT KAKLEY covers Mansfield for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0333 or at mkakley@thesunchronicle.com.