Report blames firefighter death on collapse, lack of data

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Inadequate information about a University of Missouri student housing complex, a lack of situational awareness and the deterioration of a concrete walkway contributed to the death last year of a Columbia firefighter, federal investigators said.

Lt. Bruce Britt, a 23-year veteran of the Columbia Fire Department, died Feb. 22 while trying to rescue residents trapped by a walkway collapse at University Village. He was killed when a walkway caved in underneath him.

Britt's cause of death was listed as suffocation because of being crushed by debris in a report issued late last month by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported.

After the collapse, the University of Missouri ordered inspections to be conducted on all of its buildings. The walkways at University Village were found to be structurally deficient, and the complex was razed last year.

The NIOSH report lists nine recommendations for fire departments to avoid similar tragedies in the future. Among the key recommendations are that higher educational providers and authorities develop strategies for "the inspection and remediation of student housing complexes and have programs in place to immediately address potential hazards."

The report suggests dispatch centers make sure all information taken from callers is "clearly understood" and reviewed by a dispatcher so all available information is provided to responding emergency personnel.

The report says higher education institutions should develop pre-incident plans for their buildings to share with fire departments, and that fire departments should train firefighters to have better situational awareness.

Britt's widow, Leigh Britt, filed a lawsuit last spring claiming the university's curators are responsible for her husband's death.

The university has declined to comment on active litigation.