LEOMINSTER, Mass. — Firefighter Matt Benoit had a memorable first call.
His mom was there.
The 20-year-old Benoit recently graduated from the Fire Academy and was working his first shift on Tuesday when he responded to a house fire in Fitchburg.
As he arrived on scene, his mother, Leominster Fire Lt. Audra Brown, exited the house.
Brown, a Navy veteran, tells The Sentinel & Enterprise she wasn’t worried. Her son was with a pair of experienced colleagues and she knows he has been well trained.
She’s also given him some maternal advice: “I always tell him to check his equipment and don’t be complacent.”
Benoit is a call firefighter who hopes to land a full-time job.
Brown became Leominster’s first female firefighter when she was hired 18 years ago.




