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Fire chief warns of overtime overages, cites staffing vacancy and delayed apparatus delivery
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Summary
Gardner City’s Fire Chief told the Safety Committee April 24 that overtime and repair costs have exceeded budget lines — fire overtime at $479,660 and ambulance overtime at $120,004 — and that a free-cash request to City Council is likely; the chief also described grant-funded radio deliveries and a year-long apparatus delay.
The Gardner City Fire Chief told the Safety Committee on April 24 that the department is not fully staffed after a late‑March resignation and is carrying significant overtime and repair costs that will require a funding request to City Council.
The chief said one firefighter resigned to accept a position with the Devons Fire Department, citing higher pay and the chance to receive paramedic training, and another firefighter remains on injury leave while pursuing disability retirement. "We are no longer fully staffed," the chief said.
The most immediate budget pressure is overtime, the chief said: "Fire overtime is currently at $479,660," compared with a $200,000 line‑item budget, and ambulance overtime is "at $120,004," compared with a $70,000 budget. He said some overages can be covered by internal transfers from unspent salary and wage lines but that "a free cash request to cover the balance is anticipated to be coming in front of the council at some point before the end of the fiscal year." The chief characterized the transfers as likely to soften, but not eliminate, the need for additional funding.
Equipment and vehicle repairs are also driving costs. The chief said older apparatus and outside repair labor have pushed repair spending above projections. "The current tower ladder is a 2002 model, now 24 years old," he warned, and said spending to keep that front‑line ladder truck serviceable is a factor in repair overages. He added that a factory completion date for a new truck has slipped from mid‑2027 to mid‑2028, prolonging reliance on the older vehicle.
The chief outlined grant and replacement plans that will reduce some future costs. He said 38 new portable radios and associated accessories funded by the FY2024 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant have been delivered and are being programmed with the local dealer, Cybercom. "Hopefully, it'll be going into service within a month," he said. Separately, the department received $19,000 through the FY2026 Massachusetts Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant and has ordered helmets, a carbon‑monoxide detector, replacement hose and SCBA equipment to replace items that failed testing or were condemned.
The department reported operational volume for 2026 to date: 1,547 emergency calls (about 17 per day) and 369 ambulance transports to area hospitals. By contrast, last year’s total calls were about 6,200. On hiring, the chief said the civil service list was posted April 1 and that he intends to call candidates; he is also pursuing the civil‑service "local registry" option that permits hiring up to 50% of new hires off a local registry during a five‑year agreement.
The committee did not take formal action on funding at the meeting; the chief said he expects to present a free‑cash request to City Council before the fiscal year ends.
