rescue & current events firegeezer on 02 Jun 2008 03:02 pm
Duluth Firefighters Go Quackers
THE DULUTH, MINNESOTA, FIREFIGHTERS WERE REMINDED LAST WEEK that public service calls come in all shapes and sizes.
The Duluth News Tribune REPORTED:
Two women were walking downtown Wednesday evening when they saw a distressed duck in a parking lot near Second Avenue West and Michigan Street, said Duluth Fire Assistant Chief Rich Mattson. When they got closer, they saw that 10 ducklings had fallen through a sewer grate and were swimming in the cistern below with no way to get out.
The firefighters and a police officer evaluate the
integrity of the structure before entering
to effect the rescue. (Duluth News Tribune photos)
Mattson said the fire department evaluated whether it was safe to enter the 20-by-30-foot cistern before using a fishing net provided by Duluth Police to scoop the ducklings out. The two women made quacking noises to lure the ducklings closer to the net, Mattson said.
It took about an hour to get all the ducklings to safety. Mattson said after the fire department left the scene, the two women reported that the ducklings had rejoined the mother duck.
The happy family, together again, heads back to the pond.
