Billy Hurt’s lifesaving lessons leave lasting impact on Mid-Missouri firefighters

NEW FRANKLIN, Mo. (KMIZ) 

On May 11, 2013, a grain truck rolled over on Highway 40, trapping the driver inside as crews rushed to the scene.

What followed was a rapid extrication. The Howard County Fire Protection District freed the driver in just four minutes, a rescue, officials say, may not have been possible without Billy Hurt.

Hurt died March 14 in an accident at Kennedale Speedway Park in Texas during a World of Outlaws event. The Kennedale Police Department said two officials collided while responding to an on-track sprint car crash, ejecting both from their vehicles.

The 66-year-old had served as a sprint car safety official for more than 23 years, a role colleagues described as one of his true passions.

“Ever since I've known Billy, he's had the safety team for racing. I mean, I went to Knoxville last year and he was out there,” Howard County Fire Division Chief Tony Hill told ABC 17 News. "Sprint Cars was what he loved. He'd go to all the local tracks around here, and you'd see Billy."

The sudden news of Hurt’s death rocked the Mid-Missouri fire service community. 

“I tried to call him a day or two ago to ask him a question and was getting ready to push, send on the number, and realize that  I couldn't call him,” Hill, who had known Hurt for 35 years, said. “TV portrays the family aspect of the fire service, public safety in general, ambulance, police, but we truly are a family.  When one person gets killed, it affects us all. But with Billy, he had his hands in on so many people's training and equipment that they had that it really affected us.” 

Howard County Fire Capt. Rick Newell was first introduced to Hurt while working with the Boone County Fire Protection District, as Hurt served with the Columbia Fire Department. Newell said Hurt’s death came as a shock, especially after speaking with him just a month earlier.

“I had a friend call me, and it was just total disbelief. It was like, man, I just talked to him in February at fire school. We discussed some equipment that we had purchased  and we were waiting to come in. It was just a totally unbelievable,” Newell said. “Whether you're paid or volunteer, it's a brotherhood. And  we lost a brother.”  

Howard County Fire Lt. Brad Drew first met Hurt while working at the Booneville Fire Department; at the same time, Hurt was teaching training classes. After sitting down to relax following a 12-hour shift, he received a call from Newell delivering the news of Hurt's death.

“I probably sounded like a girl on the phone, but having that shocking news, about a friend being that close to you, well, it kind of takes a toll on you,” Drew said. “It's kind of hard to put in words about a legend, because that’s what Billy Hurt was, he was a legend.” 

Thirteen years ago, the Howard County Fire Protection District reached out to Hurt as its equipment began to grow outdated. With newer vehicles built from stronger metals, their tools struggled, and in some cases failed, to cut through them.

“Talking to Billy, he's like, ‘Hey, man, I'll hook you up.’  The set we got was his first set of battery-operated tools. He's like, ‘You'll be the third department in the state to have these tools,'” Hill said. “We got them before Boone County and Columbia. It doesn't happen for Howard County very often. We had them before Chicago Fire [Department] had them. I mean, the battery-operated tools weren't really heard of.” 

One day after receiving the tools from Hurt, they were immediately put to the test on the grain truck that had rolled over on Highway 40 in 2013.

“While we were getting airbags set up, I had Billy's voice in my head telling me, ‘These tools are five times stronger. You'll be surprised what they can lift.’ With the spreader, we were able to lift a fully loaded grain truck and had this guy unpinned and on a helicopter in less than four minutes. Where before it were took 30 plus minutes to get the guy out.  Between Billy's training, him getting these tools, I truly feel like it saved that guy's life,” Hill said. 

Hurt spent more than 25 years with the Columbia Fire Department before expanding his work training departments and servicing equipment across the region. Aside from Sprint Car racing, Newell said that teaching was one of Hurt’s true passions 

“He was really a passionate person about the art of extrication. If, you know,  if you wanted to know about it, you called Billy,” Newell said. “Billy was well-trained in his ability to do extrication. He knew the technical aspect of it, but he could explain it to you in a way that you completely understood.  And if you didn't, you know, he would go further. He would work down to the level that you understood.” 

Hurt didn’t just help distribute equipment to fire stations across Mid-Missouri; he served as a mentor for firefighters, even after his retirement.

“​​The main thing that Billy said to me one day that will probably stick me the most and I think it's quite,  quite funny is, ‘Always try before you pry.' And that always sticks with me, and I'll always see his smile behind it," Howard County Assistant Fire Chief Ethan Shipp said. " I hope next time I see him it will be walking through the door, going, ‘Ethan, what are you doing? What you need?’ And it ain't going to happen.”

Luke Hill, a Howard County firefighter, said he grew up around fire service, always hearing stories about Hurt. He added that Hurt’s ability to connect with both new firefighters and seasoned veterans was what made him such an effective teacher.

“Regardless of what the question was, Billy never made you feel ignorant for asking a question,  regardless if it might have been ignorant.  He never failed to answer the question in a way that you would understand,” Luke Hill said. “Everything I've learned about extrication  I can attribute to Billy, and every extrication I've ever been involved in,  all the skills that I've used  came from Billy.” 

Tony Hill took it one step further, saying Hurt’s lessons have been pivotal in saving lives across Mid-Missouri. 

“If you were entrapped in a car and one of the personnel was cutting you out,  more than likely that person had been trained by Billy Hurt,” Tony Hill said. 

Newell recalled a time when Howard County faced a particularly challenging extrication rescue. The next day, he spoke with Hurt, who personally made sure the department had the right tools for the job.

“If you ever run into that situation again, he said, 95% of the time, my trailer with all the tools are hooked to it,” Newell recalled. “He said, ‘You call me, and I'll be there as fast as I can.’ And he said, ‘I guarantee you will have the equipment you can use to take care of that problem.’”

Even after retiring from the Columbia Fire Department, Hurt remained deeply involved, traveling across Mid-Missouri to train firefighters, demonstrate new equipment, and ensure departments had the tools and knowledge they needed. Many recalled how he would bring demo equipment from MU’s Winter Fire School and later sell it at discounted prices so smaller departments could benefit.

“Not only did he know how his tools worked, but he knew the construction of the vehicles. And that's something a lot of firefighters don't have. I mean, they know how to cut people out of cars, but certain cars are built or made different,” Tony Hill said. “Billy was very helpful with where you do or don't cut on those cars because every car is built differently.”

Hurt’s impact extended beyond technical skills. He was known for his approachable, patient nature, making every firefighter feel valued.

“Billy invested in people. He never invested in anything else. He invested in people because he was very patient with them more than anything else,” Drew said.

While Hurt is gone, his lessons continue to save lives.

“Regardless of how I try to explain it, unless you knew Billy,  you can't put words on how great of a guy he was and how much he truly cared for other people,” Luke Hill added.  “It’s just something that was so unbelievable. He was of good age he was in good health and it's just something that was so unexpected. I think everybody  in the fire service and the racing community as well kind of had the same reaction and nobody really saw it coming.”