Life After the Last Call
Photos by Anthony Jinson and Keith Borgmeyer
Leigh Britt suddenly lost her husband, Lt. Bruce Britt of the Columbia Fire Department, in a tragic building collapse on Feb. 22, 2014. She opened up to Columbia Home about loss, love and what her life looks like now, more than a year later.
Leigh Britt works as the neighborhood services manager for the City of Columbia. Her late husband, Bruce Britt, had been a part of the Columbia Fire Department for nearly 24 years. Of all the things Leigh does for with the city, one of her responsibilities includes compiling a long thorough list of unsafe structures within city limits. During the course of Leigh and Bruce’s marriage, they had several conversations about being sure the 911 Call Center and Columbia Fire Department had a current list of those structures. That way, if a call comes into the command center, the dispatchers can alert the Fire Department to proceed with caution. Building 707, the structure that collapsed on Bruce, wasn’t on that list.
When the alarms at the station went off at 4:46 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, nobody thought it would be Bruce’s last call. Bruce’s station responded to a call from the University Village Apartment Complex, located on Providence Road. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Bruce was killed while attempting to evacuate residents out of the student housing apartment complex after a reported roof collapse. When the balcony he was walking on collapsed, he fell to the ground, and the concrete walkway fell on top of him. The other first responders started lifesaving measures immediately. Bruce was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“I’ll never forget when Fire Chief Witt, Randy White, Jerry Jenkins and a member of the Columbia Police Department came to my house and told me that they had lost Bruce, and a part of me had no idea what to do,” Leigh says. “I immediately asked what had happened, and when they told me it was a building collapse, all I could do was panic.”
How it all began
Leigh and Bruce met in May 2006 at a City of Columbia volunteer recognition event at the Reichman Pavilion at Stephens Lake Park. It was an annual event, and the theme this particular year was “Cowboy.” In almost every picture of Bruce where he is not in uniform, he’s wearing his purple and brown cowboy boots, along with his wide-brimmed, worn-out black hat.
“Prior to the event, I had a fire marshal tell me about this fireman who’s all into this cowboy stuff and told me that I just had to meet him,” Leigh says. “He thought the two of us would hit it off instantly. Bruce had beautiful blue eyes; that would be the most striking thing about him. My first impression was that he was quiet and polite. Soon after meeting him, I had a clear message from God that I needed to love this man. After I had gotten to know him, it really was no question after hearing that message. I needed to love Bruce.”
They dated for about a year and half before getting married in the very spot they first met, the Reichman Pavilion, on Jan. 5, 2008. Together, they moved to a 12-acre plot of land in Ashland, Missouri, where Leigh; their daughter, Stormy; and Stormy’s horse, Pepper, still live.
Stormy was only 3 years old at the time of Bruce’s tragic accident. Leigh says Bruce and Stormy were like two peas in a pod. Even though Stormy was young, they enjoyed doing the same things: riding horses, watching TV, cuddling and spending time outside. When the accident happened, Leigh wasn’t sure how Stormy would respond or if she would remember her father as she got older.
“I don’t really think she fully understood what was going on the week following the accident,” Leigh says. “She got to see her friends and family and even got a new dress for the memorial service. It really helped me through that week and the weeks to come, I think, because I was living through the tragedy with someone who I had to be strong for. When she saw me crying, she would say things like: ‘Mommy, don’t cry. Babies cry.’ Or I’ll never forget a time we were in the car, and she just said, ‘Don’t be sad for Dad; he’s in heaven with Jesus.’”
Last fall, as Leigh and Stormy were heading out the door for the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Mo. Out of hundreds of condolence letters, Stormy picked up one of the unopened envelopes off the counter and asked Leigh to read it aloud. “Dear Leigh and Stormy, we are sorry for your loss…” As she finished reading it, Stormy asked, “Mommy, what was our loss?”
“Well, your dad died, and people want to make sure we are happy,” Leigh answered.
“But, we are happy,” Stormy replied. Those four words provided Leigh with a new perspective.
The way it’s always been
The Fire Department and city building officials have no authority over the construction or maintaining of University of Missouri buildings. Leigh doesn’t know the specific reason as to why the university is exempt from all city inspections, but it’s been that way since she began working for the city. The apartment that collapsed on Bruce was on the list of university property, meaning Leigh had no idea that each one of those apartments was unsafe. The complex did receive annual safety inspections and repairs as needed from Residential Life Services. Annual fire safety inspections focused on life-safety issues in common areas such as laundry rooms. According to NIOSH, when reviewing these records from 2008-2013: “The university did not have an established program to inspect buildings for structural safety hazards or concerns. The university was, and is responsible for their construction plan approval, project management and sign-offs. The fire department had not conducted any pre-incident planning or inspections of the complex” (NIOSH report No. F2014-07, “Career Lieutenant Killed Following a Walkway Collapse While Working to Evacuate a University Student Housing Building – Missouri”). The NIOSH report also says that after the master plan was conducted, it determined the apartment complex was in poor condition. But due to financial difficulties, renovation was not reasonable immediately. The metal decks on 12 of the 14 buildings were deemed a public safety hazard under the plan; the undersides of the decks were uncovered and thus constantly exposed to the environment. The report goes on to say that the “complex that contained Building 707 (that collapsed on top of Bruce) would remain open until renovation projects on two other complexes could be completed, after which the complex containing Building 707 would be vacated and demolished.”
It doesn’t seem fair; Leigh’s job with the city is to make sure potentially unsound buildings are inspected and, if needed, remodeled or torn down. If there was an issue with the apartment complex, Leigh would have been notified, and a thorough inspection would have taken place. The NIOSH report states that some of the contributing factors that led to Bruce’s death included deterioration of the walkway, no site preplanning and awareness of the building condition not communicated to the Fire Department. If the city found the structure to be unsound, that building would have been on the 911 Call Center’s list of unsafe structures.
If you drive down Providence Road and take a look at where those apartments once stood, you’ll notice the complexes are gone. The university decided to demolish them in June 2014. The very spot of the accident is now someone’s parking spot. After the accident, the university began conducting regular building inspections for the Columbia campus and its satellite campuses.
Community support
It’s been more than a year since the accident on that cold Saturday morning. Leigh and Stormy still feel so much love from family, friends and the community. Leigh says she still receives condolences, and it’s a reminder that the Columbia community wrapped its arms around Leigh, Stormy and the Columbia Fire Department. During the funeral procession, Leigh remembers seeing a large group of Hickman High School students standing along the side of Providence Road to honor Bruce.
“I just couldn’t believe that so many people took time out of their busy lives to pay respects for my husband,” Leigh says. “It was something I’ll never forget.”
And the love feels never-ending. Although losing a loved one is tragic and life altering, Leigh and Stormy have found the strength to move on, while remembering the life they had with Bruce.
“I do have a new love, and I am moving on with my life,” Leigh says. “Moving forward is a bit of a challenge because I don’t want to be perceived as disrespectful to Bruce. At the same time, I know there were many people who were praying for me and Stormy, and I know that loving someone new is part of an answer to those prayers.”
Although Stormy might not remember everything about her dad, as she grows older, she’ll always remember his favorite color, purple. And hopefully she’ll pick up that card again in 20 years and say, “Mom, we are still happy.”
Bruce Britt, 48, joined his Father on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, in the line of duty, having served the Columbia Fire Department for nearly 24 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant.
Born Nov. 23, 1965, to Stormy and Wanda Britt in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and raised in Williamsville, Illinois, Bruce started his firefighting career as a member of the Williamsville Volunteer Fire Department at a young age. Bruce was a cowboy at heart, wearing boots and hat before he could walk. He enjoyed working with horses, working at the Callaway Sale Barn and raising his daughter, Stormy, to be a true cowgirl.
Bruce was preceded in death by his dad, Stormy.
Survivors include his wife, Leigh; daughter, Stormy Ann; two sons, Paden and Ethan; mother, Wanda (Howard); two sisters, Heidi (Ron) and Kristi (Brian); and nephews: Clay, Kenyon, Avery, and Chase.
Bruce was a good man with a kind heart who would help anyone in need, and he stood for the truth.
He had an incredible, gentle spirit behind the rough exterior and was a fierce defender of family and friends.
All kids should be lucky enough to grow up with such a man in their life, and any adult would be blessed to have such a brother or friend.
Our hearts may break; but Bruce knew Jesus as his Savior, and we can all rejoice through the tears knowing that we will see him again.
Truly, Bruce led a blessed life.
Memorial services with full firefighter honors are set for 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, at The Crossing, 3615 Southland Drive, Columbia, MO 65201.
A memorial service will also be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 8 at Williamsville United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Edward Jones, 3305 E. Clark Lane, Columbia, MO 65202 “Stormy Britt Memorial Fund” (in memo line); or the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Hal Bruno Camp, P.O. Drawer 498, Emmitsburg, MD 21727.