Firefighters on river rescue find floating dummy

[May 10, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Firefighters who were called to rescue someone from the Los Angeles River found themselves retrieving a real dummy.

Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott says a 911 call sent firefighters to a section of the concrete channel in the San Fernando Valley on Wednesday morning.

But rescuers didn't find a flailing swimmer. They actually spotted a mannequin similar to those used as CPR training devices.

Scott says a helicopter and a swift-water rescue team were dispatched. The chopper wasn't needed, but the firefighters waded into the water and retrieved the dummy so it wouldn't prompt other calls.

Scott says it's unclear whether the mannequin got into the channel by accident or was part of a deliberate hoax.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.