The woman believed to be the first female fire chief in Massachusetts has announced her retirement.
Susan Labrie, 57, has announced that she intends to step down as fire chief in Goshen in June, when she will also retire from her job as Chesterfield’s town administrator, The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported.
“I’ve got a really strong department with some great officers,” Labrie said. “I think it’s a good time to transition.”
Labrie and her husband, Robert, were invited to join the town’s volunteer fire department when they moved to Goshen in 1989. She was named chief in 2006.
Jennifer Mieth, the public information officer at the Department of Fire Services, noted the historic significance of Labrie’s appointment.
“It was a great day for women everywhere,” she said.
Since Labrie, three other women have become fire chiefs in Massachusetts, officials said.