Thanks to Rob Hornaman for sending along this story.
Firefighters today rescued a homeless couple from the Los Angeles River in the Atwater Village area (Friday).
Crews rescued a man, who was clinging to a tree on an island in the waterway, and paramedics took him to a hospital in fair condition, Main said.
Firefighters located and rescued the man’s wife late this morning, and she also was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia, authorities said.
At one point, a rescue swimmer was swept downstream, prompting others to run after him. Other rescuers twice threw lines into the water, and the rescuer was able to catch hold of the second line and be pulled out onto the concrete bank.
Fellow rescue swimmer Dusty Clark said his colleague was a professional, “outstanding swimmer” who was not in jeopardy during the operation.
The Fire Department planned to review the operation to see what had allowed the rescuer to get caught in fast-moving water, Butler said.
The battalion chief had high praise for his firefighters, saying the specialized swift-water rescue team had trained specifically for this type of emergency.
“We’re in the rescue business. We can’t just say, ‘Hey, we’re out of here, we’re done,’” Butler said. “Until we make the rescue, we’re it.”
