Florida Firefighters Save 8 Ducklings From Storm Drain

A mother duck's worst day turned into a happy ending thanks to three firefighters who refused to give up on her babies.

On April 7, Edgewater Fire and Rescue crew 57 responded to an unusual call on Fern Palm Drive. Eight tiny ducklings had tumbled into a storm drain, and their mother was desperately circling above, unable to help her scattered babies.

Driver engineer Zach Shannon and firefighters Scott Schenke and Aidan Rivero arrived to find exactly what the concerned resident described. They could hear the baby ducks peeping from inside the drain while mom paced frantically overhead.

The rescue proved trickier than expected. Every time the firefighters lifted the drain cover to reach inside, the frightened ducklings would scatter deeper into the tubes. The crew had to wait patiently for the babies to venture back into the main drain area.

They managed to scoop out a few ducklings by hand, but the others kept darting back into the pipes. That's when Shannon had a creative idea: use their fire hose to gently flush water through the system, guiding the remaining ducklings toward the exit.

The gentle current worked perfectly. All eight ducklings floated safely out of the drain and back to their relieved mother.

Sunny's Take

This rescue happens more often than you'd think. Shannon says duck rescues are among the most common animal calls his crew receives, even more than cats stuck in trees.

According to wildlife experts, ducklings often tumble into storm drains when following their mothers across streets. The babies jump blindly to keep up, sometimes landing in grates or drainage openings they can't escape.

For the firefighters, watching the reunion made the effort worthwhile. "Obviously when we're doing it the mom is frantic and thinks we're trying to harm them, so it's nice to get them out and see them go about their way," Shannon said.

The crew admits these small rescues feel just as rewarding as their other emergency calls. Helping reunite the ducklings with their mother "is a good feeling," both Shannon and Schenke agreed.

Today, those eight lucky ducklings are swimming somewhere in the Florida Shores with their protective mom, oblivious to their close call and the heroes who saved them.