Mother, son firefighters respond to same blaze

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) - Lunenburg 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 last 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 tells The Sentinel & Enterprise (http://bit.ly/14q4pC8 ) she wasn't worried. Her son was with a pair of experienced colleagues and she knows he's 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 in Lunenburg who hopes to land a full-time job.

Brown, a Navy veteran, became Leominster's first female firefighter when she was hired 18 years ago.

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Information from: Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Mass.), http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com