Gov. Josh Shapiro signed two new laws protecting Pennsylvania firefighters, including measures championed by state Rep. Greg Scott of Montgomery County.
Act 78 extends the hours minors can participate in volunteer fire company training and firefighting activities. Act 98 bans firefighting foam containing PFAS, the toxic "forever chemicals" linked to cancer, and requires labels on firefighting gear that contains the substances.
Scott, a volunteer firefighter, pushed both measures through the state House. His House Bill 2014, now Act 78 of 2026, allows minors to engage in firefighting training and activities until 10 p.m. any night of the year.
Under the state's Child Labor Act, minors could already train until 10 p.m. the night before a school day, according to Scott's office. On weekends, holidays and summer breaks, the cutoff was 9 p.m. The new law eliminates that gap.
"We're in crisis," Scott said in a statement. "Many of our emergency response organizations are chronically understaffed and unable to respond efficiently to calls. This bill helps position us to grow our volunteer base, starting with our youngest volunteers."
Scott said volunteer firefighter numbers in Pennsylvania have been in steady decline since the 1970s. The updated curfew, he said, will help build the pipeline of trained volunteers needed to respond to emergencies.
The second law, Act 98, grew out of Senate Bill 804, which was amended in the House to include PFAS protections Scott fought for. The law bans firefighting foam containing PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances linked to increased risks of cancer, immune-system suppression and other serious health conditions, according to Scott's office. It also requires labels on any firefighting gear containing the chemicals.
"We're doing them and ourselves a disservice if we're not properly informing them of the risks of using protective gear that contains PFAS," Scott said, referring to firefighters who respond to emergencies.
Shapiro signed both measures Oct. 23, according to Scott's office. Effective dates for the two laws were not specified in the announcement.
