20250AB__107594CHP INTRODUCED 2025-02-20 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2025-04-02 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2025-04-23 AMENDED_SENATE 2025-06-27 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2025-09-09 PASSED_SENATE 2025-09-08 ENROLLED 2025-09-11 CHAPTERED 2025-10-10 APPROVED 2025-10-10 FILED 2025-10-10 AB CHP CHP Introduced by Assembly Member Bryan (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member McKinnor) (Principal coauthor: Senator Cervantes) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bryan PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY McKinnor PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR SENATE Cervantes

An act to amend

Section of the Health and Safety Code, relating to fire protection. fire protection Fire protection: privately contracted fire prevention resources: public water sources. Existing law establishes in state government, within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services.

Existing law requires the office to be responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies, including responsibility for activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters to people and property. Existing law, the FIRESCOPE Act of 1989, requires the office to establish and administer a program, known as the FIRESCOPE program, to maintain and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of managing multiagency firefighting resources in responding to an incident.

Existing law requires the office, in collaboration with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the board of directors of the FIRESCOPE program, to develop standards and regulations for any privately contracted private fire prevention resources operating during an active fire incident in the state, as provided, and to develop regulations to govern the use of equipment used by privately contracted private fire prevention resources during an active fire incident, as provided.

This bill would additionally require the office to develop regulations prohibiting privately contracted private fire prevention resources from hooking up their equipment to public water sources, unless approved by incident command or the authority having jurisdiction over the active fire incident and unless the equipment includes a backflow prevention device. The California Safe Drinking Water Act provides for the operation of public water systems and imposes certain responsibilities on community water systems related to the operation of water distribution systems, as defined.

This bill would explicitly state that none of the above-described regulations governing the use of equipment used by privately contracted fire prevention resources during an active fire incident shall alter, impair, or interfere with the authority of a community water system to operate a water distribution system. MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 14868. (

a) The office, in collaboration with the department and the board of directors of the FIRESCOPE Program, shall develop regulations to govern the use of equipment used by privately contracted private fire prevention resources during an active fire incident. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) All equipment shall be clearly labeled nonemergency.

(2) Privately contracted private fire prevention resource vehicles shall not use emergency lights or sirens.

(3) Privately contracted private fire prevention resource vehicles shall not have any labeling that indicates emergency personnel or fire department.

(4) Privately contracted private fire prevention resources shall not hook up their equipment to public water sources, unless approved by incident command or the authority having jurisdiction over the active fire incident and unless the equipment includes a backflow prevention device. (

b) The office may consult with both private sector entities that provide privately contracted private fire prevention resources and public sector fire agencies before developing the regulations as required by this section. (

c) Nothing in this

section shall alter, impair, or interfere with the authority of a community water system to operate a water distribution system, as defined in

Section 116275.