COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Three AMR crews, one in Colorado and two in California, were caught in the act of helping ducks off the road and to a safer location.
“I was so happy to see them help,” wrote a woman who snapped a photo of Colorado Springs AMR personnel Aaron Costantino and Jonathan Eahehart using their ambulance to shield a duck and ducklings on busy road.
“Plus I got to explain to my kids how they (the crew) didn’t have to stop and help but they chose to,” she continued in her message to AMR. “They influenced them (my kids) and that is something they should be proud of. I gave them a honk and a wave as I drove past, I could see that they were a bit embarrassed.”
The efforts of a Modesto AMR ambulance crew, Corey Lalone, Jeff Finner and Tony Thompson, were also appreciated when they herded a duck and ducklings across a busy road to a nearby canal.
“I noticed one of the AMR guys (passenger) get out of the ambulance and look at the ground in front of the vehicle,” wrote a man who witnessed the crew’s wildlife-saving efforts in action. “It put a smile on my face that Public Safety includes all of the animal kingdom. Faith in humanity restored.”
A Santa Rosa, California crew had a recent encounter with a family of ducks on the side of a road with fast-moving traffic. “Fearing for their safety I slowed down to a near stop hit my code 3 lights and gave them (the ducks) a path to safety,” the crew, Ted Davidson and Bryan Smith, shared. “For us all life is precious and we had to act to save the ducklings.”
Colorado Springs AMR crew shields ducks from traffic until the ducks reached safety
Social media posts from bystanders that witness AMR and other EMS crews going above and beyond are often widely shared. Shepherding ducklings to safety, pulling a trapped raccoon from a storm drain, rescuing stray pets, or finishing the lawn mowing for a man who collapsed from exhaustion are just a few of the recent efforts of EMS appreciated by citizens.