Avon firefighters pull ducklings from sewer to reunite with mother

AVON — One local duck needed a helping hand Wednesday morning after nine of her ducklings had an adventure inside a storm sewer on Foxglen Avenue. Avon firefighters were able to arrive at the scene quickly enough to scoop up all nine of the ducklings unharmed and reunite them with their nervous mother, much to the delight of a group of residents who had gathered to watch the rescue. These sorts of animal-related calls are not uncommon, Chief David Swope said. He estimated that Avon Fire Department is called to a couple of duck incidents annually. The department even keeps a net specifically for lifting ducklings to safety after firefighters determined that is the most effective method. "We have tried a couple different ways over the years, because believe it or not, we have had more than a few of these calls," Swope said. "We've tried flushing them out with water before, tried doing a couple different things, but it seems like if we can get to them, the net is the best option." One common situation is for ducklings to journey into the storm sewers from a neighborhood's retention pond, then get separated from their parents and start making noise in an attempt to reunite. "It's not a trapped issue. They can get out on their own if people would let them," Swope said. "But I think a lot of times because they are squawking, and the duck is squawking, and the kids are getting involved, and then you have people in the street trying to move sewer grates and everything, that is where we get involved." In this case, a resident reported the situation to the fire department and Swope was not exactly sure how the ducklings ended up in the sewer. Responding to the 7:28 a.m. call were Avon firefighters David Conlon, Gene Legeza and Ryan Saleet. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.