BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Many businesses in the Buffalo area are showing their support for fallen Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno's family.
Arno made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty while battling a four-alarm fire on the 700 block of Main Street in Buffalo on Wednesday.
7 News spoke with a couple donating all profits from weekend sales to Arno's wife and young daughter.
"We definitly feel a great deal of indebtedness to Jason Arno," explains David Horesh, who owns a business right near the site of the fatal fire on Main Street.
Horesh owns Oxford Pennant, a manufacturer of custom flags and banners just doors away from the site of Wednesday's fire where Arno, 37, was killed. Horesh says some of his employees were in a meeting when they smelled smoke and, "went outside and heard an explosion and realized that something worse than just a small fire was taking place."
Horesh says he and his employees wanted to do something to help support Arno's family.
"I think one of the great traditions that we've had as a company that when we feel something anxious, quesy, something happend in the community feeling, we try to channel it into something constructive, " explains Horesh. "We've always felt that the right way to respond to that sinking, helpless feeling is to bond together and reconnect with our community."
The company will donate all profits from online sales this weekend at oxfordpennant.com to Arno's wife and young daughter.
"We're doing midnight tonight through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. Every sale that we make all the profits (after we pay for the cost of manufacturer) will be put into a fund and we'll write a check on Monday and drop it off at city hall." He says this is the 10th year he's owned Oxford Pennant with his partner, Brett, but, "this is not the first time that we've dealt with crisis and catastrophe and there seems to have been a lot of those recently."
Another business known for bringing the community together during difficult times is F45 Training. Owner Jessica Lasagna says the F45 locations in Black Rock and Amherst will donate proceeds from a special offer to the Arno family from now until March 10.
Lasagna says, "we are offering a discounted week rate. We are offering one week of unlimited training for $25. All the proceeds, 100% of the proceeds are going to Jason's family." She says like many of us, she is heartbroken over the tragedy and wants to help support Arno's loved ones.
Both business owners say raising money for Arno's wife and daughter is the least they can do.
Horesh explains, "several of our employees very much feel that Jason Arno died protecting our team and our business and we want to find a way to pay it back."
Those interested in donating to the Arno family directly can do so through the union representing Buffalo Fire Department firefighters, Buffalo Pofessional Firefighters Local 282. Donations can be made through the mail, in person, or over Venmo; you can find information on the union's FB page here and listed below:
🚨🔔 Donations to the Arno Family 🔔🚨
Checks can be made payable to Buffalo Professional Firefighters and mailed/dropped off to -
500 Southside Pkwy Buffalo NY 14210
(716)856-4130
Venmo donations can be sent - @IAFF282
Food and Grocery Gift Cards can be dropped off to the Union Office as well
Two GoFundMe fundraisers have also been established which can be found here and here.
