California Fire Service Training and Education Program: California Fire and Arson Training Act: fees.

Senator Hurtado’s measure ties the State Fire Marshal’s ability to levy admission and related fees for California’s fire training programs to the availability of state appropriations and other funding, linking fee collection to a funding sufficiency standard rather than automatic charging. The core objective is to ensure that charges for the California Fire Service Training and Education Program and activities under the California Fire and Arson Training Act are pursued only when funding sources are inadequate to cover the necessary costs.

The bill preserves the State Fire Marshal’s authority to establish rules, curricula, prerequisites, and examinations, while conditioning the collection of those fees on the same funding threshold. It consolidates fee-setting within the framework already described in the related Act, requiring that fees be established “to the extent that state appropriations and other funding sources are insufficient” to cover the costs of implementing these services. A carve-out remains that prohibits charging for training classes tied to state laws and regulations that local fire services are authorized or required to enforce. The provisions reinforce that the California Fire Academy System, standards development, examinations, and related activities continue to operate under the SFM’s management and with guidance from the State Board of Fire Services, subject to funding constraints.

In broader terms, the measure introduces a funding-driven model for support of fire training programs, potentially reducing fee revenue when appropriations are adequate and increasing reliance on public funding or grants when funding is insufficient. It maintains core duties and partnerships with educational institutions, while requiring ongoing fiscal oversight to define when costs are “necessary” and when funding is “insufficient.” Stakeholders—state and local fire agencies, academies, training providers, and fire protection personnel—face a framework in which access to certain fee-supported activities may shift with the level of state funding, whereas access to specific state-law enforcement training remains free of charge.