Michael Bauman Reflects on His 33 Years of Service ~ Firefighter’s Job has Evolved

Next Wednesday is Michael Bauman’s final day as a Bedford firefighter. He is retiring at age 55, with 33 years seniority.

It’s a milestone that evokes mixed emotions. “This job has been the honor of my life,” he affirmed, choking up a little, during a conversation at the firehouse.

As a youngster, Bauman spent a lot of time on town business with his father, T. Frank Bauman, Bedford’s first director of recreation. But that’s not what launched his career; “I wasn’t one of those kids who played fireman.”

After graduating from Bedford High School in 1985 and attending Wentworth Institute, Bauman was working for local contractor Angelo Busa, trying to figure out his next direction. One day he ran into firefighter Kevin Lorrey over at Cozy Corner, the pizza joint that once was at the corner of Fletcher and The Great Roads.

He suggested that Bauman check out the Civil Service test for public safety, and that led to a career. He became a firefighter in 1989 and nine years later was promoted to lieutenant. That was the year his brother David, now also a lieutenant joined the department.

The retiring Bauman “prided himself in keeping up with his firefighting skills,” commented Fire Chief David Grunes. “He had years of knowledge and experience that he enthusiastically shared with young firefighters.”

Mike Bauman acknowledged that “it can be tough working in the town where you grew up. You  develop an approach that it’s your job because you can’t help them if you don’t,” he said, noting that there are times when for long-time residents who call 911, “it’s a relief for them to see a familiar face.”

Familiar or not, he added, “it’s amazing how fast someone hands you their baby” when they realize that “it’s good that we are there to help.”

Bauman is retiring as the department approaches what may be a generational change. Annual Town Meeting has approved the purchase of the property at 139 The Great Road as the site for a new fire station. However, work can’t proceed unless the Historic District Commission approves the demolition of the current structure.

“I’ll be there when they cut the ribbon,” Bauman laughed. He recalled when the Police Department moved from sharing space with the Fire Department in 1996. That opened things up some at 55 The Great Road, but “this building wasn’t designed for long-term growth,” he observed.

A generation ago, no one anticipated apartment complexes on Middlesex Turnpike, or townhouses on the former Raytheon parking lot, or significant single-family residential growth, he said. “We have to grow.”

Bauman reflected on his experiences as his industry changed through the decades:

• The implementation of central dispatchers in the late 1990s was “a game-changer.” Before that there were five-man shifts, but one was a dispatcher. There were still call firefighters on the roster. The dispatching crew today is “so professional; I’ve got to tip my hat to them.”
• There’s a “major shift” in the town’s commercial infrastructure from office and technology to biomedical laboratories, and that has expanded the department’s area of expertise, he said. Sometimes firefighters spend a half-day training at a particular site, preparing for a possible biological or chemical accident. “The game of old-fashioned firefighting has changed.”
• The level of overall training has increased exponentially. “It’s such an important part of this job,” Bauman said. “We are constantly updating.” For example, he said, electric vehicles have introduced challenges; some wiring compares to high-tension lines. There are also vehicles that use compressed natural gas. “You have to stay on top of all that.”
• Firefighters now undergo periodic active-shooter drills. “I never thought we’d be carrying bullet-proof vests and tactical helmets in our toolbox.”
• The addition of highly-trained paramedics. “We’re still considered a blue-collar job, but people now are well-educated and trained,” Bauman said.
• There are fewer actual fires. “There are much better building practices, codes have improved, and we have a fire prevention office that Dave Hansen built from scratch.”

Looking back, Bauman said he has seen a tremendous amount of loss – life and health, and property. “You always need to have a little bit of detachment,” he observed. However, he derives comfort from the fact that “we were able to affect outcomes.”

One episode remains particularly embedded in his memory: the private jet that crashed on the  Hanscom Field runway on June 1, 2014, killing all seven onboard. “We had to assist the State Police in removing the bodies and securing the scene,” he recounted.

The retiring lieutenant and his wife Melissa, a surgical technician at a Boston hospital, have two grown daughters.

Bauman will continue to work in project management for Westview Homes Development in Lexington and finish some projects at his Billerica house. “I’m not going to be getting up at 2 o’clock on a Friday morning in a snowstorm,” he promised.