After Bus Crash Response, Stafford County, VA, Firefighters Want Shift Change
Stafford County fire and EMS crews who responded to a deadly bus crash on I-95 last week are now calling for a shift modification to reduce the hours they work weekly.
"The average person works 40 hours a week. We’re doing 56. So, if we can draw back and do 42, I mean it helps us, and it turns around and helps the community as well," Stafford County Professional Fire Fighters Local 4012 President Jake Rawls told WTTG.
Last Friday, after dealing with a mass casualty wreck involving several vehicles including a bus, firefighters were expected to return to regular shifts.
Five people were killed and dozens were injured.
Rawls said the change would improve long-term health, family stability and job performance, even if it requires additional county funding.
"...The fire department is here to serve the citizens, and we can do that adequately with the 56-hour workweek. But we can do it even better with a 42-hour workweek."
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Susan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.