Vaughan firefighters rescue 9 ducklings from catch basin, reunite them with mother

Rescuers from 771 crew include Capt. Jason Puopolo, Vince D'Agostino, Peter Mrkonjic, Tony Rende

Aileen Zangouei
May 14, 2019
Yorkregion.com

Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service, in conjunction with York Regional Police, rescued nine ducklings that had fallen down a catch basin the morning of May 14.

At about 9:35 a.m., after firefighters were finished at the scene of a collision, the 711 crew was notified by a police officer of a mother duck who had lost all her ducklings after they fell six to eight feet down the basin.

The officer noticed a mother duck crossing the street, just missing getting hit by a car, and standing by the catch basin, Vaughan Fire Capt. Jason Puopolo said. When the officer walked over to check, they realized the ducklings were there.

Puopolo and firefighters Vince D'Agostino, Peter Mrkonjic and Tony Rende attended to the scene at Weston Road and Major Mackenzie Drive.

St. Andrew’s Valley gives hoot
"They don't do things like this often, but they used a lot of imagination and ingenuity and made it up as they went along," Platoon Chief Bill Smillie said of the rescuers.

The plan to use a bucket from the fire truck and some string to scoop out the ducks was devised by Puopolo, Smillie said.

The mother duck stood nearby as the firefighters scooped out ducks a few at a time until all nine of them were out.

"Our firefighters do their day to day work, but then they go above and beyond whenever they can whether it's for people, or animals," Vaughan Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi said.

In fact, Vaughan Fire received a 100-per-cent citizen satisfaction rating on the 2018 citizen satisfaction survey.

"It's just one of those things we do," Smillie said.