HARRISBURG – The state House voted unanimously this week to update the Pennsylvania Child Labor Act to allow 14- and 15-year-old emergency service volunteers to engage in training and firefighting activities until 10 p.m. on any night of the year. The bill’s prime sponsor, state Rep. Greg Scott, D-Montgomery, said that this change will help support the pipeline of trained volunteers needed to respond to community emergencies. Under the state’s Child Labor Act, minors can engage in training or firefighting activities until 10 p.m. the night before a school day. Yet on weekends, holidays and over summer academic breaks, that curfew is only 9 p.m. Scott said, “Making their curfew 10 p.m. all year is a small change that can make a huge difference in an emergency.” Under state law, youth may join a volunteer fire company as young as age 14 with written consent from a parent or guardian. House Bill 2014 now heads to the Senate for consideration.
REP. GREG SCOTT