Buffalo Township police, firefighters and construction crew rescue 3 ducklings from storm drains

Three ducklings were rescued from a storm drain Friday afternoon at a GetGo gas station thanks to the quick work of Buffalo Township police, firefighters and a construction crew.

Officer Erik Bergstrom said he received a call around 4:30 p.m. about the young waterfowl that had fallen through a sewer grate near the entrance to the convenience store along South Pike Road (Route 356).

Later that evening, a woman working at GetGo said it was her father-in-law who called 911. She declined to speak further about the incident.

Bergstrom arrived on the scene and knew he needed help getting the ducklings out of danger.

“I arrive and apparently mother duck was walking some baby ducks, and the mother continued walking with the others after some of the babies fell into (the storm drains),” he said. “I had to find the little guys. I could hear them making their little noises through the storm drains.

Bergstrom called the township fire department for help. One of them, Tyler Hill, works for Holbein, a construction company headquartered in Freeport that also has a location in the township.

Hill said when he arrived at GetGo, a construction crew was passing by on their way to Freeport.

He called them and they were able to open the gate, but the ducklings were too far down the pipe to reach it.

Firefighters pumped water into the system to flush them out and Mike Fox, one of the construction crew, was able to get the birds to safety.

“We opened the gate pretty quickly,” Hill said. “It was probably after 10 to 15 minutes that we had them challenged. It was a pretty unique call for us. I have heard of other fire companies being dispatched to similar incidents. For us, it was a first in a long time.

“Fortunately, we had all the necessary resources on site at the right time. »

Hill said the fire chief saw a mother duck and her ducklings near Buffalo Creek while responding to the gas station. Firefighters took the ducklings down Monroe Road to the creek in an attempt to reunite them.

The responders believe they may have found themselves downstream.

Bergstrom said the rescue was a great example of teamwork.

“The extrication was a success,” Bergstrom said. “We’re not just here to answer people’s calls. We are also here to respond to calls for animals.