This meeting was just made available and that is why the article is being published at this time.
Fire, Police, and Health Departments Focus of January Public Safety Meeting
The Gardner Public Safety Committee met on January 23, 2026. Listen to the entire meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.
Fire Chief Gregory Lagoy gave a report and a significant trend emerged: the demand on Gardner’s emergency services has never been higher, with first responders handling a total of 6,324 incidents in 2025 which represents a 4.6% increase over the previous year. The department is full staffed.
Gardner Police Chief Eric McAvene spoke of how a creative partnership with Monty Tech is saving taxpayers a fortune. The PD is leveraging the skills of students in programs like carpentry and plumbing so that the project of building out the City’s Emergency Operations Center will cost under $10,000.
Overtime budgets of both the Fire and Police Departments are strained, with Fire already in the red and PD anticipating its overtime budget will not last until the end of the year.