After Serving Marlborough and USA as Firefighter, Sterling Resident Hopes to Lift Up Next Generation

By Alison Sullivan, Editor in Chief
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” President John F. Kennedy said these famous words in 1961, and they have shaped the worldview of Sterling resident Edmoth Matthews ever since.
Matthews retired last month after 32 years as a Marlborough firefighter, having served not only the city itself, but the United States of America. He was deployed as a firefighter in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, after Hurricane Katrina, and several other disasters, always bringing home new skills and knowledge to further help the city of Marlborough. He treated every single call as if he were going to help a beloved family member.
“I’ve got a smile on my face, but it’s a little sad at the same time,” Matthews said days before his last day as a firefighter, April 23.
Matthews further described firefighting not as a job, but a calling. That sentiment was echoed by Matthews’s former Lieutenant, Fred Flynn, who recently retired as Assistant Chief of the department.
“[Matthews] was dedicated and eager to take on more challenges,” said Flynn. “That’s one thing that always stuck out to me…He was eager. He loved his job, he loved coming to work.”
Some days as a firefighter were more difficult than others, and Matthews described the low points of his career as “people I couldn’t help.” Though those instances were few and far between, Matthews said he thinks about the faces and families of people he couldn’t save to this day.
Mostly though, said Matthews, firefighting was a good job where he was able to help people more often than not. One other aspect of the job that was special to Matthews was the kinship of firefighters around the world.
“Another great thing about being a firefighter, it doesn’t matter where you are, what country you’re in, they treat you nicely,” Matthews said. “You talk the talk, you know each other, everybody knows what the job is when you go.”
Wherever Matthews travels, nationally or internationally, he tries to check out the local fire station. Though the equipment may look different (Matthews noted how different the helmets looked in Holland) the job is the same.
“It doesn’t matter where you are,” he said, “you say you’re a firefighter they’ll help you out.”
This was certainly true of the fire departments from neighboring towns, who gave Matthews a ride home on fire trucks on his last day. According to Matthews, Marlborough FD brought him to Berlin, Berlin FD brought him to Clinton, and Clingon FD brought him home to Sterling where his family and friends were waiting for him.
Notably, Ed Matthews’s wife and parents were able to greet him after his last day, and Ed was grateful they were able to watch him start and finish his long, successful career
Matthews and his wife, Michele, are Framingham natives who fell in love with Sterling when they moved here 17 years ago. Ed Matthews is also a member of the Sterling District 8 Dive Team, which he will continue after retirement from Marlborough FD.
As a firefighter and a nurse, Ed and Michele Matthews have shared a life of service. “We could talk to each other about how’s your day going, and understand stresses of both being in the service,” Ed Matthews said.
“I would like Ed to know how proud I am of his accomplishments in the fire service, and how much his family and friends love him,” Michele Matthews said of her husband.
Ed Matthews may be retired, but he has not stopped thinking about the future of firefighting and the Marlborough Fire Department.
“I know I can’t be a firefighter, but I’d like to work on recruitment,” Matthews said. He further noted he hopes to help increase diversity within MFD, as he is one of only two Black firefighters the department has had for 30 years.
“One of my old partners told me you wave to every kid, you talk to every kid, because that’s the future.”