MT. AIRY, Md. (DC News Now) -- Local and state leaders turned out in western Maryland to mourn the loss of a young man swept into a drain pipe during a fierce summer storm.

The occasion was a tribute to valiant first responders, and the facility could lead to measures preventing tragedies like this from ever happening again.

The drowning of 13-year-old Mason Kearns has triggered a crusade for safe standards for storm drainage infrastructure across Maryland.

Mt. Airy's mayor, Larry Hushour, has ordered inspections of all drainage pipes in his town and placing grates over them, to prevent a repeat of the July 31 fatality that took Kearns' life.

"In a matter of seconds, he was submerged under water, stuck and invisible," explained Kearns' aunt, Allison Eggleston.

Maryland's Lt. Gov. Arun

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