A yellow front end loader approached the Elm Street bridge in Tamaqua, then dumped 3,000 just-as-yellow rubber ducks into the Little Schuylkill River below.

And with a collective plop and one big splash, the Tamaqua Fire Police’s Rubber Duck Race was on.

“No ducks left behind!” an observer yelled as the ducks coasted on currents and drifted out of sight.

Minutes later, they’d be pulled from the water from a shore near Boyer’s Market on Cedar Street.

Sunday marked about the 10th year for the race, the volunteer organization’s biggest fundraiser. Typically held on Father’s Day and the same day as Tamaqua’s Summerfest, folks purchase numbered tickets that correspond to numbers inked onto the back of the ducks.

“This keeps us going for the year,” Jack Cusatis, fire police secretary, said of the funds raised through ticket sales.

Just this year, he said, the fire police finished construction on a garage in Tamaqua’s South Ward to store two of its vehicles.

“We really have to shelter our vehicles because leaving them outside is taking a toll on them,” Cusatis said.

With the garage finished, Brent Confer, captain of the fire police, said the next goal is to purchase a new vehicle.

“We want to replace our ambulance,” he noted.

It took about 18 minutes for the first ducks to arrive at the finish line, each of them plucked one-by-one to determine 13 winners.

Prizes ranged from $600 for first and second place to $100 for fifth through twelfth. A gift card was awarded for the duck in thirteenth place.

Confer said the water was running a little slower than in previous years. Last year, he said, the race was put on hold for about 3 weeks because of heavy rainfall.

But no matter the weather, he said, the community shows its support for the race and the fire police.

“The people of Tamaqua, Coaldale and Lansford have been very good to us,” Confer said. “They have always been very supportive.”

Cusatis noted that the fire police number just over 20 volunteers. The men and women, he said, help with traffic and crowd control during fires, accidents, festivals and more.

“We are making sure the community is safe,” he said.

Cusatis presented plaques to Boyer’s Markets, which allows the fire police use of its parking lot each year and permits its members to sell tickets from its storefront; and to the Hometown and West Penn branches of Mauch Chunk Trust, which helps with ticket sales and sponsors banners and food. He also presented Lisa Confer with a plaque of appreciation and honorary membership to the fire police for her continuing support, and recognized Kim “The Morning Chick” Noel and WMGH for support over the years.

While the first ducks floated downstream in less than 20 minutes, the remainder of the flock was still trickling more than an hour later.