BUFFALO, N.Y. — Since the tragic fire that look the life of Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno, the Buffalo Fire Department lowered all Buffalo flags half staff.
The City of Buffalo honored the fallen firefighter with a ceremony on Friday, the one year anniversary of his death.
Jason Arno loved Buffalo. He was a son, brother, husband and father. He used to work at Engine Two in Buffalo as a firefighter. After his death, the community is coming together again to honor him.
Since the tragedy, his friends and family members created the Firefighter Arno Memorial Foundation. It provides resources, financial support, and opportunities for Western New York first responders and their families.
They do this by holding fundraisers and increasing community awareness about the work that firefighters do every day.
One of their biggest achievements is awarding reflective safety straps to the Buffalo Fire Department. This piece of safety equipment helps identify firefighters in conditions when it is hard to see.
The foundation also created scholarships to give out to high school students. They say over the past year, the support for the foundation has been incredible.
"I'm sure people know how much it means for us and how special it is, but they really don't. It's truly special to hear and get phone calls from the Buffalo Bisons out of the blue, saying we want to do an event to raise money so you can do the work for first responders and that's something that happened last year. I don't know maybe I am biased being born and raised in Buffalo, but I think it's really incredible," James Fierro Jr., president and founder of the Firefighter Arno Memorial Foundation said.
Fierro said they are continuing to grow and are also working with the Western New York Helpline to support the local law enforcement community.