In memory of Helitack Squad Leader Emily Rose Barker
USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, Rifle Interagency Helitack · Rifle, CO
Emily Rose Barker, Helitack Squad Leader of USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, Rifle Interagency Helitack, a firefighter / EMS, died in the line of duty on June 27, 2026 in Rifle, CO.
Record
- Rank: Helitack Squad Leader
- Department: USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, Rifle Interagency Helitack
- Location: Rifle, CO
- End of watch: June 27, 2026
- Nature of death: Burns
- Years of service: 18
- Age: 38
Circumstances
Firefighters from the Rifle Interagency and Pittman Valley Helitack Crews were involved in a burnover event while responding to initial attack fires in the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit (UCR). Helitack Squad Leader Emily Barker, along with Helitack Crewmember Sydney Watson (U.S. Wildland Fire Service – UCR) and Helitack Crewmember Nicholas Hutcherson (U.S. Forest Service – Kaibab National Forest), did not survive the burnover.
This record appears on the RESPONDin line-of-duty memorial wall, a public remembrance of first responders who died in the line of duty. Source: usfa import.