MA Police Save Man from Water Using Rescue Device Named After Fallen Officer
Worchester Officer Enmanuel Familia lost his life trying to rescue a teen from drowning in 2021, and his family started a foundation to provide rescue floatation devices to officers. One of those, a Manny Tube, was used by police this week in Shrewsbury.
Manny Tubes, named after a Worchester officer who lost his life during a water rescue in 2021, were deployed to save a man this week in Shrewsbury.
Credit:
Shrewsbury Police Department/Manny 267 Foundation
2 min to read
Officers used Manny Tubes, a rescue floatation device named after a fallen officer, during a water rescue Thursday in Shrewsbury, Massachusettes.
Credit:
Shrewsbury Police Department
Police officers in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, rescued a man who was struggling for his life in water temperatures reported to be around 42 degrees and an air temperature of about 40 degrees. One of the rescue devices deployed was a Manny Tube, named for Worcester Officer Enmanuel Familia, who lost his life in 2021 during a water rescue.
At 7:50 a.m. Thursday, a 911 call reported a man missing, and officers responded to the location of a former restaurant. Just after 8 a.m., an officer spotted the missing man in the middle of the lake under the bridge at the Boston Turnpike.
Police said the man was struggling to stay afloat.
From atop the bridge, officers threw floatation devices down to the man and shouted instructions. Officers on the bridge attached a Manny Tube to a rope and tossed it to the man so he could be pulled ashore by three officers on the bank who were assisted by rescue divers from the fire department.
By 8:11 a.m., just 10 minutes after the officer first spotted the man, he was out of the water and receiving medical attention before being transported to an area hospital.
Ad Loading...
Mission: Keep Officers Safe During Water Rescues
Familia, a Worchester officer, lost his life in June 2021 while trying to save a teenager from drowning in an area lake. The officer, 38, was known to be a strong swimmer and, in his younger days, was a lifeguard at the local YMCA where he, as a child, had learned to swim.
Older brother Elvin Familia and other members of the fallen officer’s family founded the Manny 267 Foundation to provide rescue floatation devices and water rescue training to other officers following Familia’s death. The number 267 incorporated into the foundation’s name memorialized the officer's badge number.
The mission to increase officers’ safety during water rescues began with the foundation’s donation of 40-inch-long ExoTube rescue floatation devices, dubbed Manny Tubes, to the Worcester Police Department, with plans to extend the program to other area departments.
The Colorado State Patrol, after analyzing its 2025 struck-by incidents, identified one area for improvement: using traffic cones to provide advanced warning before the cruiser's location. Here is the agency’s final data.
The mission of the Jorge Pastore Foundation is to support first responders through essential training, stronger community engagement, and mental wellness resources, all accessible and funded through donations, sponsorships, and foundation-led fundraising. It works closely with Team Wendy in the discussions about developing better protective gear for officers.
Patrol work hasn’t changed—but the expectations on officers have. See how one police chief helped officers get the right information at the right time, improve patrol visibility, and strengthen trust without adding complexity or surveillance. This real-world story shows how patrol-driven technology can make the job safer, smarter, and more effective—starting on day one.
What if Level I retention didn’t require a full duty rig? Safariland’s Solis delivers trusted ALS security in a streamlined OWB platform built for administrative and plainclothes professionals who need protection without the bulk.
In this video, we get a look at the latest law enforcement boots from Garmont Tactical, both for men and women. Kyle Ferdyn, sales manager, showcases four of the latest boots.
With the commercial availability of Avon Protection’s EXOSKIN-S2, users now have increased options for their protective suit requirements across the spectrum of CBRN threat environments.
Versaterm has acquired Aloft, an FAA-approved Unmanned Service Supplier (USS) that specializes in real-time airspace intelligence and flight authorizations.
