Oak Bay firefighter rescues ducklings from storm drain
Woman spotted troubled brood circling around the drain
Oak Bay Fire often says there’s no call too small — and that was the case Friday morning when a firefighter rescued a brood of tiny ducklings trapped down a storm drain.
Daisy Dulay said she was walking to work about 6:20 a.m. when a woman alerted her to a mother duck and a duckling circling a storm drain near Cadboro Bay Road and Bee Street.
The women could see more ducklings in the water below, but could not lift the grate.
Dulay called Oak Bay Fire and acting assistant chief Duane Adsett responded to the call, his last one after a night shift.
Adsett pried off the grate and checked that no toxic gases were present.
He could see seven ducklings swimming in the water below.
Adsett stuck his head into the hole and used his arms to reach the ducklings, but they would dive underwater and dodge his hand.
A neighbour across the street brought a wicker basket.
Adsett used it to scoop up the ducklings and reunite them with their mother.
“Once they hit the pavement, they ran over to mom and they wandered off into the grass,” he said.
One of the ducklings died during the rescue.
Adsett said this was the first duckling rescue in his 18 years as a firefighter.
“They just follow mom, and mom can walk across the drain and the babies can’t,” he said.
As Adsett left the scene, he could see the mama duck sitting near Bowker Creek keeping the babies warm.
He said he is sure his two children, ages 12 and 11, will be excited to hear the story and see the news coverage.
In May 2015, a Saanich police officer rescued 11 ducklings that fell into a storm drain along the Trans-Canada Highway.
In that case, the ducklings’ mother was struck by a passing car while the officer was tending to the babies.