PRESS RELEASE—January 2011

 

20 Years later, Family of Aureet Bar-Yam, drowning victim, remembers her and calls for vigilance in ice and cold water safety

They will never forget the events of 20 years ago when 33 year old Aureet Bar-Yam, walking her dog near Sandy Pond in Lincoln, fell through the ice. The police and fire department were called but failed to rescue her for 90 minutes despite her being less than 30 feet from shore.

Aureet was still alive when she was finally pulled from the water but died the next morning after being flown by helicopter to a hospital. An outcry arose from witnesses about the missteps of the official responders.

Afterwards, the family, along with the state police training agency, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), sponsored training events for over 200 first responders to prevent such tragedies in the future. State Police Trooper Stephen Byron, who helped conduct the training sessions, now retired, joined the family this week in commemorating the tragedy. Together they called for renewed care in teaching people to avoid unsafe ice and in making sure police and fire department responders have equipment and training for cold water rescue.

The Bar-Yam family has compiled a book on Aureet's life and placed a plaque near the location where she drowned. At her graveside this week, her father, Zvi Bar-Yam, said "For many years we needed you for yourself. Today we miss and need you for ourselves."

Sergeant Jill Simmons, Commanding Officer for port security with the New Bedford Police Department, who, along with Byron, organized and trained responders for cold water rescue with the Bar-Yams, said "The family found strength to help prevent other tragedies. Today, it is just as important as then to make sure that people know to avoid the dangers of cold water. Every year there are accidents. To prevent tragedies, cold water rescue should be part of the training of town and city first responder networks."

Byron added "Every year there are ice/cold water incidents throughout Massachusetts. Local public safety departments must stay well trained and well equipped to effectively respond to the inevitable call for an ice/cold water rescue." Aureet's family and their friends continue to call for properly equipped and trained first responders.