Volunteer fire companies across Bucks County could get a new tool to recruit teenage members under a bill that unanimously passed the Pennsylvania House in June and now awaits Senate action.
House Bill 2014, sponsored by Rep. Greg Scott, D-Montgomery, would amend the state's Child Labor Act to let 14- and 15-year-old volunteer junior firefighters participate in authorized training and emergency response activities until 10 p.m. any night of the year. The House Labor & Industry Committee approved the measure on June 10 before the full chamber passed it unanimously later that month, according to a Pa. House Democratic Caucus release.
Under current law, those teens can stay until 10 p.m. on school nights but must leave by 9 p.m. on weekends, holidays and during summer break.
The practical effect: a 15-year-old who can train until 10 p.m. on a Tuesday in March would finally be allowed to do the same on a Saturday in July.
"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," Scott said in a statement. "Making their curfew 10 p.m. all year is a small change that can make a huge difference in an emergency."
The bill would also expressly authorize junior firefighters to ride in official emergency vehicles to fire scenes, provided the transportation complies with federal safety regulations for minors. It does not change the prohibition on teens entering burning structures or performing hazardous interior duties.
Why it matters locally
Pennsylvania's volunteer firefighter ranks have collapsed. The state had an estimated 300,000 volunteers in the 1970s and has lost the vast majority since then, according to figures cited by the Pa. House Democratic Caucus, even as call volumes keep rising. Several Bucks County companies already run junior programs for teens as young as 14.
The strain is visible close to home. In April, Plumstead Township swore in its first career fire chief as the Plumsteadville Volunteer Fire Company shifted to a paid-volunteer hybrid model. Marc Longo, the station's volunteer chief, described the situation at a 2025 community event: "It's going to happen because we don't have the people to volunteer. And the problem we have here in Plumsteadville is the housing market's way overpriced, so I only have one firefighter out of 40 firefighters under the age of 40 who owns a home."
Plumsteadville already enrolls students as young as 14 in its junior program, according to company president Mark Banas.
What's next
The bill now sits in the Pennsylvania Senate. No committee hearing or vote date has been announced. If the Senate passes it and Gov. Josh Shapiro signs it into law, the changes would take effect 60 days after enactment.
