Fire safety: fire hazard severity zones: State Fire Marshal.

Assembly Member Quirk-Silva's fire safety legislation establishes new protocols for stakeholder engagement with the State Fire Marshal regarding fire hazard severity zone designations. The measure creates formal channels for public agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other entities to provide input on wildfire safety improvements between the Fire Marshal's periodic reviews of zone classifications.

The bill authorizes the State Fire Marshal to confer with stakeholders about actions affecting an area's fire hazard severity and issue written responses addressing potential impacts. Entities may submit documentation about completed or planned wildfire safety improvements for consideration during the next formal review period. All correspondence and submitted materials must be posted on the Fire Marshal's website for public access. To offset administrative costs, the Fire Marshal may require fees from entities participating in these consultations or submitting information for review.

These provisions apply to both state responsibility areas and other lands where the Fire Marshal maintains fire hazard severity zone designations. The existing zone classification system, which categorizes areas as moderate, high, or very high risk based on factors like fuel loads, slope, and weather conditions, remains unchanged. The bill adds new engagement mechanisms while preserving the Fire Marshal's discretion in considering submitted information during formal zone reviews.