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Date: 5/2/2023
HADLEY — He is most often the first point of contact when a member of the Hadley community needs assistance. On the phone, the radio or at the window when someone walks into the public safety building, Henry Baj has been there.
Baj has been a part-time dispatcher since 1976, taking police, fire and rescue calls over the phone, sending first responders to scenes and interacting with neighboring agencies. At the station, he processes paperwork for community services like burn permits as well as a host of administrative duties.
Hadley Dispatch Supervisor Meghan Cahill highlighted those functions among the valuable services Baj provides, another of which is training, for just about everyone.
“He has more [time and experience] than the rest of the part-timers combined,” Cahill said.
Police Chief Michael Mason noted in an era when nearly every business can relate to the difficulty in finding and keeping good employees, someone like Baj is a keeper.
“When we get a great employee, we try hard to hold on to them,” Mason said.
It is that sentiment that saw Baj return to the dispatch desk shortly after he retired back in 2019 after 42 years.
Fire Chief Michael Spanknebel said Baj’s talents are well displayed in his professionalism, especially in times of stress or crisis.
“In severe weather incidents, to watch them [Baj and other dispatch staff] deal with frustrated callers upset that their power is out with the same demeanor as someone panicked because they’re trapped in their car.
Baj said he fully recognizes the importance of the Telecommunicator/Dispatcher role, especially in dealing with the public.
“Very often, for the person on the other end of the phone, it’s their only contact [with public safety],” he said.
Baj pointed to the art of multitasking as a major challenge and requirement of the job, which often involves being on the phone collecting information, sharing details on the radio to those responding or at a scene and doing it in the right order.
“It’s about prioritizing,” Baj said.
It was Cahill, his supervisor, who took these and many other observations and put them into a letter of endorsement, nominating Baj for Telecommunicator of the Year as presented by the Massachusetts Communications Supervisors Association.
Baj said he was honored by the nomination, Cahill’s praise, and the support of the chiefs.
“It was a killer letter,” Baj said.
On April 12, Baj received the Telecommunicator of the Year award at the State House in Boston where he also took time to further promote state efforts to classify dispatchers as first responders, recognizing the same stressors and work conditions currently associated with police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians/paramedics.
Spanknebel offered an observation on the role dispatchers play.
“They are the unsung heroes of public safety,” he said.
After 47 years, Baj works Saturday day shift and picks up other hours at the desk, when necessary, something he said he will keep doing.
“As long as they need me,” Baj said.