An unusual rescue took place inside a community park in Bradford.  Two boys, ages 10 and 12, got stuck in a storm grate over a creek.

The two boys were playing basketball at Callahan Park late Monday afternoon when they decided to take a walk on a nearby storm grate.  One boy stepped through an opening and became stuck. His buddy tried to help but he too became stuck.

“They were there for almost a half hour before somebody found them. They had no means of communication to be able to call for help.  So, a passerby heard them yelling for help and dialed 911,” said Michael Maze, Firefighter/EMT.

When firefighters arrived and saw the two boys stuck in the grate, they knew immediately that what had to do.  They called for the Jaws of Life.

“Usually, the Jaws of Life we associate with cars and we train on them for cutting up cars and spreading doors and everything apart,” said Christopher Salerno, Firefighter/Paramedic. “So, this definitely was a different case where they could be used for a different scenario.”

It took 10 minutes to spread the metal bars apart and rescue the two boys, who were cut, scraped, and very much relieved.  As for the firefighters, they have a new rescue story to tell.

Captain Michael Scrivo is an 18-year veteran of the department.

“Kids play in here all year long,” he said. “It was just the first time in my career that we’ve ever had any kids entrapped in this area at all.”