At 10am Center Moriches Firefighters and Eastport Firefighters were requested to assist the East Moriches Fire Department who was responding to a stranded duck hunter in the Moriches Bay off the end of Bay Avenue.

Emergency units arrived and found a duck blind had pulled away from its mooring along the shore and drifted a few hundred yards into the Moriches Bay with one person on board.

Working together in nearly whiteout conditions and 50 mph winds Firefighters in cold water immersion suits launched a small zodiac boat out to the duck blind to rescue the standard hunter.

The duck hunter was safely brought back to shore where he was transported to a local hospital for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries.

All firefighters were back in service within 1 ½ hours.