Borough fire official critically injured in motorcycle crash

WASILLA — Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services deputy director of fire Ken Barkley was critically injured Thursday in a motorcycle accident on Wasilla Fishhook Road.

According to Alaska State Troopers, Barkley was heading south when his motorcycle went off the road. Troopers were notified of the crash at 6:39 p.m. When they arrived they found Barkley seriously injured. He was not wearing a helmet.

Barkley, 51, was flown by helicopter to Anchorage, where a spokesperson for Providence Alaska Medical Center said he was in critical condition Friday morning.

Borough manager John Moosey visited the hospital with several other co-workers from the borough and the Department of Emergency Services, some of whom left the hospital as early as between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Friday. The department has adequate staffing to account for the temporary absence of an employee without formally requiring the appointment of an interim director to replace Barkley, Moosey said.

The mood was grim, he said, though emergency services personnel were coping as best they could, Moosey said.

“We’re all very concerned,” he said. “This is a colleague, a partner and a friend. They (emergency services personnel) deal with tragedy every day. I don’t want to say they’re equipped for it, but they face tragedy every day.”

Moosey said the news of Barkley's crash came as a shock.

“It’s all kind of really raw for us right now, happening so quick,” he said.

Moosey said Barkley has been deputy chief since 2014, when Barkley was named to the position by former emergency services director Dennis Brodigan.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the date of Barkley's promotion and the name of the person who promoted him to deputy chief.