BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tragedy at Tops supermarket, a historic blizzard, and the heartbreaking loss of firefighter Jason Arno.
The last 12 months have been difficult for the Buffalo Fire Department and the person in charge, fire commissioner William Renaldo. He recently sat down with anchor Scott Levin to answer some questions that have been on the mind of many firefighters and residents.
One of the main issues the commissioner spends a lot of his time responding to is criticism from union leaders critical of things such as equipment reliability.
"I'm not arguing that some of our equipment is in disrepair," Renaldo said. "A lot of that had to do with the November and December blizzards. A number of the apparatus were stranded and left until roads were clear, and some were damaged, and some severely. We are still in the process of repairing those vehicles, but the vehicles on the road now and ordered ones will get us to a much better place."
Mayor Byron Brown’s new budget proposal includes plans to purchase several badly needed new pieces of fire fighting equipment.
Just a few days after our interview, a rig responding to a fire on Parkside Avenue broke down. On the two-way radio you can clearly hear the firefighter say, "please advise the shop that our rig is dead, we can't make it on the scene to the fire, our rig is dead."
Firefighters told 2 On Your Side that a similar scene occurred at the deadly Main Street fire that claimed the life of Jason Arno.
Levin: I believe engineers had to go to the scene as one of the trucks needed some work?
Renaldo: Yes, I was there when that occurred. Twenty minutes later it was done, it was overheating, something minor.
Levin: Did it have any effect on fighting the fire?
Renaldo: Absolutely no effect whatsoever.
Levin: What kind of equipment do you want to see the mayor and that money be spent on?
Renaldo: Well, I take a little exception to the disrepair part, we just took delivery of a new ladder truck 15, almost a $2 million purchase, funds last year for the major apparatus being purchased right now. We will take delivery of another ariel platform and engine by October, and the mini trek ambulance rapid response, a takeaway from the November blizzard.
Renaldo says the department is also purchasing equipment that will allow firefighters to respond when Buffalo streets are covered in snow, including a rapid response vehicle and track ambulance.
Another issue likely to rear its head when the current union contract expires in 2025 is the use of dynamic staffing. It allows the department to close a firehouse for 24 hours to save money and respond to staffing shortfalls.
The union approved dynamic staffing before Commissioner Renaldo's term but now criticizes it.
Renaldo: Dynamic staffing has been in place since 2015. Before me, it's a negotiated item, something we have learned to mitigate. There is always risk, never can you eliminate risk totally, but we have done a lot to mitigate the risk associated with dynamic staffing.
Levin: What will you do if the union decides they want to repeal dynamic staffing?
Renaldo: Well, there is really no mechanism to do that, it's a negotiated item. I'm open to negotiation. Show us how we can offset the savings the city gains for dynamic staffing.
When asked about the recent Main Street fire that took the life of firefighter Jason Arno, Commissioner Renaldo says he will always remember Wednesday, March 1.
Levin: Commissioner, what do you recall about the Main Street fire and the mayday call?
Renaldo: Obviously a tragic day. We were in a class when the fire came in, monitoring it, obviously it escalated to a third alarm, we headed to the scene.
Levin spoke with Commissioner Renaldo a week before Arno’s widow, Sarah Tierney, put the city on notice that she may sue for the conscious pain, suffering, and fear of impending death her husband suffered that day. The suit claims it was caused by the "negligence, recklessness, and carelessness of the City of Buffalo and/or the City of Buffalo fire department."
Levin: A lot of people are saying, why was firefighter Arno in the building at the time when it was apparently an abandoned building?
Renaldo: That's a good question. The majority of our fires start off as offensive in nature. You always at least have to investigate first. This was a rare occurrence, middle of the day. We arrived, had to investigate. Another major concern is occupancy, what is the building used for, it's a commercial building, people may be in there and need assistance as well."
The investigation remains in the hands of the ATF and the Erie County District Attorney.
Levin: Would you support the D.A. filing charges if the owner or someone working violated laws?
Renaldo: Yes I believe someone should be held accountable. It remains to be seen, the investigation is still ongoing.
Renaldo leads more than 700 men and women in the Buffalo fire department through day-to-day struggles and challenges. He was happily retired when Mayor Byron Brown asked him to come back in 2018, as commissioner.
Levin: As you continue to lead the department, what does success look like to you?
Renaldo: Well, we made a conscious effort to fully staff the department, we were 150 short, to make sure we're fully-staffed, to deal with emergencies, and that came to fruition during the pandemic. We would never have been able to deal with the pandemic had we not made a conscious effort to staff this department.
Levin: What kind of mark do you want to leave?
Renaldo: I'm big into servant leadership. The reason I'm here is to serve the community and the department, and to give our frontline firefighters everything they need to get the job done.