When worshipers left St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Smithtown on Sunday, June 26 they began searching for the source of unfamiliar sounds. The sounds revealed the location of the faint cries of orphaned ducklings coming from the bottom of a storm drain.
Parishioners quickly called the Smithtown Fire Department in the hope of rescuing the young ducks. Arriving on scene 2nd Assistant Chief Kevin Fitzpatrick quickly sent out a call for a crew to remove the grade from the storm drain and rescue the ducklings.
Engine Company 4 arrived in quick order and carefully removed the grade and went down to rescue the ducklings. With their rescue mission accomplished the Department called the Sweetbriar Nature Center’s Wildlife Rehabilitation program to see if they would care for the ducklings. They quickly agreed, giving the orphans a new home.
The efforts of churchgoers, Smithtown Fire Department personnel and the dedicated staff at Sweetbriar combined to make this summer Sunday a special day in the lives of the ducklings.
