Thomas Breen Photo
Doyle inspects at a rooming house inspection.
Fire Marshal Bobby Doyle is leaving his post for a job at Yale, following in the footsteps of his deputy.
Doyle, who signs off on making sure that buildings are safe and oversees general code enforcement, has worked for the New Haven Fire Department for 20 years and served as fire marshal since 2015. He has overseen a modernization of his unit. He said his last day on the job is Aug. 14. He’s leaving to take a job as supervisor of fire code compliance for Yale University.
“The opportunity came” and he took it, Doyle said Wednesday. “I enjoy the people I’ve met, the people I’ve helped out with. I’ve enjoyed every minute of” working for the NHFD.
His deputy, James Hynek, previously left his post to take a job at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Under the city charter, Fire Chief John Alston Jr. will officially become the fire marshal when Doyle leaves until the positions can be filled.
Alston said Wednesday that Doyle’s departure took him by surprise. He wished Doyle well: ““He has the opportunity of a lifetime. He should take that opportunity.”
The department has scheduled a test in October for a replacement for Hynek.
In the meantime, Alston said, he’s confident that the department, which has eight certified inspectors and investigators, will stay on top of the work.
East Haven Fire Chief Matthew Marcarelli, who as a former New Haven assistant chief worked closely with Doyle, called his imminent departure a big loss for the NHFD.
Doyle leaves with “a career’s worth of institutional knowledge, and he will go to Yale carrying a lifetime of building and infrastructure knowledge and experience,” Marcarelli said. “Bobby has been involved in many Yale projects from the ground up. New Haven’s loss is Yale’s gain. He was a pleasure to work with during many grueling fire incidents that he was lock step with investigators on but brought a methodical and investigative approach that was unmistakable.”
