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Nov. 29--LAKE OSWEGO -- Firefighters generally like to see if animals can find their own way out of life's little jams before they launch a full-scale rescue.
But when a squirrel got stuck in a downspout at the Main Fire Station Monday, firefighters didn't figure they had much choice.
Deputy Fire Marshal Gert Zoutendijk said he was walking around the back of the station, at 380 B Ave., around noon, when he heard a scratching sound in the gutters.
"I thought maybe a squirrel was making a nest or trying to bury something," Zoutendijk said. "I figured we should just wait for him to get out."
But after about a half-hour of loud, non-stop scratching, firefighters went up on the fire station roof for a look.
"That's when we saw a squirrel's head, looking up at us from the downspout," he said. "And he definitely was stuck."
Firefighters then called a Lake Oswego police community service officer, who has a noose for animal captures. But the squirrel deftly dodged the noose, wedging itself deeper into the downspout.
So, with a big sigh, firefighters disconnected the downspout from the gutters and laid it flat on the parking lot.
"All of a sudden, he shot out of the downspout and sat there -- dazed -- for a few seconds," Zoutendijk said. "Then he took off."
Zoutendijk said they were happy to free the squirrel, even if it seemed like a hassle at the time.
"If he couldn't get out, he'd be plugging up the downspout," he said. "Then, we'd have to take it off anyway."
-- Rick Bella Follow @southnewshound
