By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- • Stafford County Professional Fire Fighters Local 4012 is calling on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors to reduce the standard firefighter workweek from 56 hours to 42 hours, following crews’ response to a mass casualty bus crash on Interstate 95 near Quantico on May 29, 2026.
- • The crash — in which a motorcoach operated by E&P Travel struck six vehicles in a construction work zone at approximately 2:35 a.m. — killed five people, including two children, and injured 44 others.
- • Firefighters who worked the scene — described by responders as involving multiple vehicles on fire and numerous trapped occupants — were expected to return to their regular 56-hour shifts immediately following the incident.
- • Local 4012 President Jake Rawls stated that a reduction to a 42-hour workweek would improve firefighter health, family stability, and job performance, even if the change requires additional county funding.
- • Bus driver Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, N.Y., has been charged with five counts of involuntary manslaughter and is being held without bond; the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Department of Transportation are both conducting investigations into the crash.
STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — The Stafford County Professional Fire Fighters Local 4012 is formally requesting that the county Board of Supervisors reduce the standard firefighter workweek from 56 hours to 42 hours, citing the psychological and physical toll of responding to a devastating mass casualty incident on Interstate 95 near Quantico in the early morning hours of May 29, 2026.
At approximately 2:35 a.m. on May 29, a motorcoach operated by E&P Travel traveling from New York City to Charlotte, N.C., failed to slow for traffic in a construction work zone on southbound I-95 near the 146-mile marker and struck six vehicles. A family of four inside an Acura SUV — identified as two adults, aged 45 and 44, and their children, ages 13 and 7, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts — were killed when their vehicle caught fire following the collision. A fifth fatality also occurred in the crash. A total of 44 people were injured, with at least three in critical condition.
Stafford County Fire and Rescue declared a mass casualty incident, mobilizing 13 transport units, two heavy rescue squads, multiple engine and truck companies, and mutual aid from Prince William County, Fauquier County, and Marine Corps Base Quantico. Arriving crews encountered multiple vehicles on fire and numerous trapped occupants; both of Stafford County’s heavy rescue companies worked to extricate trapped victims while engine company personnel simultaneously suppressed vehicle fires. All critical patients were extricated and transported to hospitals within approximately 45 minutes.
Following the incident, firefighters were expected to return directly to their regular shift schedules. Local 4012 President Jake Rawls stated that the immediate return to routine duty after such a traumatic scene underscored the need to reconsider the department’s scheduling structure. He described the current 56-hour average workweek as significantly above the standard for most professions and said a reduction to 42 hours would yield measurable benefits for firefighter health, family life, and operational performance, even if it requires the county to allocate additional funding. The union’s formal request has been directed to the Stafford County Board of Supervisors; no vote or official response from the board had been publicly announced as of the time of publication.
Bus driver Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was charged with five counts of involuntary manslaughter and is being held without bond at Rappahannock Regional Jail following his release from the hospital. Authorities identified a reported history of speeding violations across multiple states and a federal safety violation related to required English language proficiency. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the crash investigation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has initiated a separate inquiry, subpoenaing the driver’s records from the State of New York where he obtained his commercial driver’s license. Stafford County prosecutors indicated additional charges may be filed depending on the outcomes for victims still in critical condition.