By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• The City of Buffalo agreed to pay nearly $6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit tied to a firefighter’s line-of-duty death in 2023.
• Firefighter Jason Arno, 37, died March 1, 2023, battling a four-alarm fire in downtown Buffalo.
• The settlement of $5,924,500 will be paid to Arno’s estate in three annual installments.
• A civil trial was set to begin before the settlement was reached.
• Reports cited issues including missed mayday calls, communication failures, training and equipment factors in the response.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The City of Buffalo has agreed to pay nearly $6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed after the March 1, 2023 line-of-duty death of Buffalo Firefighter Jason Arno, officials said.
Arno, 37, died while operating at a four-alarm fire in downtown Buffalo. A civil lawsuit alleging negligence related to the fireground response and other factors was scheduled for trial Monday before the settlement was reached, according to court records.
Under the agreement, the city will pay $5,924,500 to Arno’s estate in three equal annual installments beginning in July 2026, pending procedural approvals by the Buffalo Common Council and court.
Reports cited in the lawsuit and related fire incident review found multiple issues during the response, including four mayday calls from Arno that were missed due to radio congestion, failure to attempt radio contact after he went down and an emergency headcount that was requested but not completed.
The lawsuit also included allegations of negligence against property managers and contractors connected to renovation work at the property where the fire occurred.
Mayor Sean Ryan said the city reached the settlement to avoid a protracted trial and to provide some measure of closure for Arno’s family, and family counsel described it as the largest court resolution involving the Buffalo Fire Department in city history.