Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Bruce E Britt

Lieutenant

Lieutenant Britt and his Snozzle company were dispatched along with other fire department and law enforcement units to the report of a building collapse in a residential building on a local college campus. When they arrived on the scene, firefighters did not see any signs of a collapse and began to search the incident building and nearby buildings.

As Lieutenant Britt walked along an elevated exterior walkway attached to the incident building, a structural failure occurred and the walkway collapsed. Lieutenant Britt fell to the ground and was crushed by debris from the collapse.

Lieutenant Britt was extricated from the collapse after about 11 minutes of effort by firefighters using airbags and cribbing. He was transported to a hospital but died of compression asphyxia.

For additional information regarding this incident, please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2014-07 (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201407.pdf)

Incident Location: University Village, 601 S. Providence Road, Columbia, MO (U.S. National Grid: 15S WA 5755 1064)

photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Bruce E Britt was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and was included in the USFA’s annual report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.

Department information

Columbia Fire Department
201 Orr ST
U. S. National Grid: 15S WD 5848 1187
Columbia, Missouri 65201

Chief: Charles P. Witt, Jr.

View NIOSH Report

Age: 48
Rank: Lieutenant
Classification: Career
Incident date: February 22, 2014 04:45
Date of death: February 22, 2014
Cause of fatal injury: Struck By
Nature of fatal injury: Crushed
Activity type: Search and Rescue
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Non-Fire
Fixed property use: Residential

Last updated: September 25, 2015