Acton Firefighters Rescue Doll Lost In Storm Drain On Girl's Birthday

ACTON, MA — Acton firefighters saved a little girl's birthday Thursday morning when they rescued a doll she accidentally dropped into a storm drain while waiting for her school bus, Chief Robert Hart announced in a news release Friday.

Acton Fire Captain James Byrne was driving down Pond View Drive at around 9 a.m. when he noticed an Acton woman using a pole and net to reach into a roadside storm drain, Hart wrote in the release.

When Byrne stopped to see if the woman needed help, he learned that she was trying to save a doll that had fallen out of her 7-year-old daughter's pocket into the drain before she had to hurry onto the bus and off to school, Hart wrote.

The woman told the captain that her daughter was upset because she had borrowed the doll from a close friend at school and was planning to return it, according to Hart.

Byrne requested help from Ladder 28, and firefighters Steve Dimeco and Clem Tyler came to the rescue—using a Halligan pry bar to lift the grate off the storm drain before retrieving the doll, Hart wrote.

The 7-year-old and the doll were reunited after school was over, and the doll will be returned to its owner, Hart added.

"I'm very grateful to the Acton Fire Department," the woman said, according to the news release. "This was so appreciated."

"Our firefighters face a wide variety of hazards and challenges, but this challenge was a little unique," Hart wrote. "I am proud of Capt. Byrne, Firefighter Dimeco, and Firefighter Tyler for showing that the Acton Fire Department is always here for our community, no matter what challenges await. On behalf of the entire Acton Fire Department, I would also like to wish this young member of our community a very happy birthday!"