Fire protection: privately contracted fire prevention resources: public water sources.

Assembly Member Bryan, with principal coauthors McKinnor and Cervantes, advances a set of regulatory changes governing privately contracted fire prevention resources during active fire incidents, focusing on equipment labeling, signaling, and connections to public water systems. The core change directs the state’s Office of Emergency Services, in collaboration with CAL FIRE and the FIRESCOPE Program, to develop regulations that require all equipment to be clearly labeled as nonemergency; prohibit emergency lights or sirens on privately contracted resource vehicles; forbid any labeling that suggests emergency personnel or fire department affiliation; and restrict hookups to public water sources to instances approved by incident command or the appropriate authority, with a backflow prevention device required. The measure also states that these provisions shall not alter the authority of community water systems to operate their water distribution systems.

To implement these requirements, the bill relies on the FIRESCOPE framework and the agencies involved, mandating that the Office of Emergency Services, CAL FIRE, and the FIRESCOPE board craft the regulations and may seek input from private sector providers and public sector fire agencies before finalizing them. It also preserves the authority of water utilities under the California Safe Drinking Water Act, clarifying that the new rules operate alongside, not over, existing water distribution operations.

Regarding enforcement and timing, the bill does not specify penalties or a concrete effective date; enforcement would be guided by the adopted regulations through the standard regulatory process, and the measure triggers fiscal committee review, signaling potential costs for regulatory development, training, and compliance by contractors and water systems.

Context and implications: The proposal fits within the FIRESCOPE program's coordination framework and is designed to reduce potential cross-connections and branding ambiguities during firefighting operations, while ensuring that water distribution operations are not impeded. Stakeholders include privately contracted fire prevention resource providers, incident command authorities, community water systems, FIRESCOPE, and CAL FIRE.