Stow firefighters celebrate 'little successes' after rescuing 13 ducklings from storm drain

While firefighters are mostly known for extinguishing fires, their duties sometimes pull them in a more furry, fuzzy direction.

Such was the case for Stow firefighters Wednesday evening when they rescued over a dozen ducklings that fell into a storm drain, according to Lt. Chris Emch.

Emch and other firefighters responded to the incident at the Kohl's parking lot off of Kent Road, where it was later determined 13 ducklings fell into a storm drain.

"There were two women on the scene who had found a few ducklings, and after we were able to remove the cover from the storm drain and lower a ladder into the drain, we determined there were more trapped ducklings beneath this parking lot," Emch said.

Once the ducklings were rescued and rinsed off, firefighters put them in a bucket to stop them from scattering away in the grassy area where they were taken, Emch said.

More ducklings were found in another area of the storm drain, and they were all returned safely to their mother, "who was cautiously watching the operation unfold," the department said in a Facebook post.

"We get a lot of calls that don't end up with the best outcomes, so to have a call like that had a happy ending was great," Emch said. "We all had the biggest smiles on our faces afterwards for the rest of the shift. It's the little successes like that that can keep you energized."

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Stow firefighters rescue more than a dozen ducklings from storm drain