WARRENSBURG, Mo. — The Johnson County, Missouri, Fire Protection District is mourning its first-ever line-of-duty death.
Capt. Vernon Collett died at the scene of a half-acre field fire on a property near Knob Knoster, Missouri, around 3 p.m. Saturday.
The paid-per-call captain lived in the area of the fire and was the first to arrive at the scene at 1:57 p.m., according to Fire Chief Larry Jennings.
Three minutes later, the Brush Unit arrived and found Collett collapsed at the edge of the fire. CPR was initiated and EMS arrived shortly after. First responders also administered multiple shocks through an AED to Collett during their life-saving efforts, according to a press release from the district.
"Roughly about an hour's worth of resuscitation efforts, and they all worked very well together and just were not able to resuscitate him in the end," Larry Jennings said.
Collett's cause of death has not been released.
The captain served at the district's Station 6 for 29 years.
"He was a role model, and I don't know if he ever realized how big of a role model he was to people," said Capt. Joe Jennings, public information officer for the fire protection district.
Joe Jennings said he grew up around the fire district and first met Collett as a little kid.
"A true family member, just like any other blood family member, and he always will be," Joe Jennings said.
The fire district has 12 stations and about 122 employees that serve approximately 520 square miles of Johnson County, Missouri. Larry Jennings said most of the fire district's employees know one another.
"It impacts us all," he said. "Both his family, that community family and our fire family are very, deeply impacted by it."
Collett was known for being an encouraging leader.
Although he served the fire district for 29 years, he sat through the recruitment process "numerous times" with new recruits to "make sure they were learning" so that "when they left that recruit training, they were better prepared and worked well with everyone at that station and throughout the district," according to Larry Jennings.
Larry Jennings said the owner of the property intentionally set the fire to burn out a fence row to install a new fence.
"This started out innocently and ended tragically," he said.
As the fire district mourns its first-ever line-of-duty death in its 46-year history, it will carry on Collett's legacy.
"We’re going to show up every day and we’re going to put the gear on," Joe Jennings said. "We’re obviously going to be thinking about him every time we show up.”
Flags at the fire district's buildings were flying at half-staff on Monday as roses laid at the base of the flag pole at Station 6.
The Johnson County Fire Protection District is collecting monetary donations for Collett's family, his father and two nephews. Contributions can be made out to the district and delivered to its headquarters at 122 W. Young Avenue, Warrensburg, Missouri, 64093.
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