Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Bill supporting EMS participation by minors passes Pa. House

Bill supporting EMS participation by minors passes Pa. House

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    June 29, 2026 | 3:52 PM

HARRISBURG, June 29 – The state House today voted unanimously 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.

“By some estimates, Pennsylvania has one-tenth of the volunteer firefighters we had in the 1970s,” Scott said. “Many of our emergency response organizations are chronically understaffed and unable to respond efficiently to calls. It’s a bad situation, and without action, it’s only going to get worse.”

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.

“The difference between school nights and non-school nights is an oversight that prevents engaged, ambitious young people from helping their communities after an arbitrary timepoint. Making their curfew 10 p.m. all year is a small change that can make a huge difference in an emergency,” Scott said.

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.