Fifteen firefighters from the Topeka and the Kansas City areas left Wednesday for Mississippi to assist with Hurricane Katrina recovery, according to the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department.

They will replace 40 Kansas firefighters who left in September and will return Thursday.

The adjutant general’s department said the “smaller number of replacements reflects a drop in demand for assistance.”

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical has deployed no firefighters as part of the relief effort, said Deputy Chief Mark Bradford.

The adjutant general’s department also announced that nine Kansas emergency personnel who have worked in Biloxi, Miss., will stay there two more weeks.

As of Wednesday, Kansas has registered 1,206 households with the Federal Emergency Management Helpline seeking federal assistance to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Disaster victims can call FEMA at (800) 621-3362 for assistance or register at www.fema.gov.