By Ilana Arougheti
The Kansas City Star
JOHNSON COUNTY, Mo. — A Johnson County, Missouri, fire department captain died Saturday after he collapsed while fighting a field fire, according to the Johnson County Fire Protection District.
District Captain Vernon Collett, 60, was part of the Johnson County Fire Protection District team responding to a fast-moving field fire in the 60 Block of NE MM Highway in rural Johnson County around 1:45 Saturday, according to Captain Joe Jennings, a District spokesperson.
The fire covered about half an acre of land when Collett and his team arrived, according to Jennings. Collett was actively extinguishing one of the lines of fire when he collapsed.
Other firefighters on scene tried to revive Collett with CPR and a defibrillator until a Johnson County ambulance arrived, according to Jennings. Collett was pronounced dead at the scene.
Collett joined the Johnson County Fire Protection District in 1996, spending his entire career at Station 6 in Warrensburg. Collett was promoted to captain in 2011.
His death is the first time a firefighter with the District has died while responding to a fire, Jennings said.
“His passing marks an immeasurable loss for our department, his family, and the entire community he so selflessly served,” District chief Larry Jennings said in a statement Sunday. “Today is a tragic day for our District and a somber reminder of the risks our firefighters face daily.”
The District is currently working with Collett’s family to organize funeral arrangements, Joe Jennings said. Donations supporting the family and funeral can be received at district headquarters at 122 W Young Avenue in Warrensburg.
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