Fire cadets employees or volunteers?
WBartlett
8 Posts
We have a fire cadet program that allows youngsters to become involved with our fire department. The students are allowed to participate in department activities such as washing apparatus, cleaning, public relations, law care, run tools and equipment to fire scenes, learn about fire fighting (they are not allowed to participate in fire fighting, wildland or structure) and generally hang out. They have uniforms and participate quite a lot. We have a volunteer compensation program that gives our volunteer firefighters some compensation for equipment and such they have to buy. Our chief has been giving this same compensation to the cadets. We have been requiring that the cadets be allowed to work under the child labor restrictions of the DOL. The chief is fighting this because of course, responses don't limit themselves to strictly 8-5 and some fires go for days at which he thinks cadets can be there providing support assistance.
The question is by considering them volunteers - should we completely ignore the child labor regulations of the DOL?
I realize there are a lot of other potential issues here, that we are currently working on.
Thank you.
The question is by considering them volunteers - should we completely ignore the child labor regulations of the DOL?
I realize there are a lot of other potential issues here, that we are currently working on.
Thank you.
