Central Alarm Station Officer Retires
Central Alarm Station Officer, Robert "Bob" Czaja is retiring after 13 years at Yale. Bob has worked the first shift at the Central Alarm Station during his time here at Yale fielding phone calls, dispatching fire and police for emergencies and lockouts--rescuing many stranded students!
This time of year Bob says there are a lot of weather related calls--icy sidewalks, falling ice and frozen locks. When he first started, "dispatch" was located at 100 Church Street South in a windowless office. In 2010, they moved to a beautiful space on Lock Street with lots of windows. "It's a nice space, people know where we are now," said Bob.
Over the years, Bob has fielded some interesting calls. During commencement week, the students play pranks and cover statues on Old Campus with toilet paper. And then there was the year someone called about the very large "bladder" ball being bounced along Elm Street. "We had to dispatch the Yale Police to stab and deflate the ball," said Bob.
But no matter the calls or emergencies Bob will miss his co-workers. "This is a great group of people here in this room, we have a special bond. We had some stressful times, but together we shared them" he said.
Bob and his wife of 29 years Laura are moving to Florida where there will be no icy sidewalks and where he plans on doing a lot of golf cart driving.
Good luck and safe travels Bob!
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