CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

99

Introduced by Committee on Emergency Management (Assembly Members Ransom (Chair), Hadwick (Vice Chair), Arambula, Bains, Calderon, and DeMaio)

February 21, 2025

An act to add Section 8619.6 to the Government Code, relating to emergency services.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes the Office of Emergency Services within the Governor’s office under the supervision of the Director of Emergency Services and makes the office responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies. Existing law requires, during any state of war emergency, or state of emergency when the need arises for outside aid in any county, city and county, or city, aid to be rendered in accordance with approved emergency plans. In periods other than a state of war emergency, a state of emergency, or a local emergency, existing law authorizes state agencies and political subdivisions to exercise mutual aid powers in accordance with the Master Mutual Aid Agreement and local ordinances, resolutions, agreements, or plans. The act requires the Office of Emergency Services, in consultation with relevant local and state agencies, to develop and adopt a state fire service and rescue emergency mutual aid plan that meets specified criteria.

This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to establish the Firefighting Mutual Aid and Prepositioning Program for specified purposes, including to support the implementation of the state fire service and rescue emergency mutual aid plan, as described above, and to establish a reimbursement program to allow firefighting agencies deployed under the state’s Master Mutual Aid Agreement to pay for costs, as specified.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 8619.6 is added to the Government Code, to read:

8619.6.

The Office of Emergency Services shall establish the Firefighting Mutual Aid and Prepositioning Program for all of the following purposes:

(a) To support the implementation of the state’s fire service and rescue emergency mutual aid program.

(b) To support the Mutual Aid Fire Engine Program, which permits the use of the engine for mutual aid responses, local multiple alarm fires, temporary replacement for out-of-service engines, training, or other local needs and requires the assignee to dispatch the engine with the required personnel to any emergency.

(c) To augment the Mutual Aid Fire Engine Program by reimbursing costs to staff, train, and acquire additional fire suppression resources, including, but not limited to, super hose tenders, deployable, auxiliary water suppression systems and mobile hydrants for local agencies and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE).

(d) To establish a reimbursement program to allow firefighting agencies deployed under the state’s Master Mutual Aid Agreement to pay for costs to deploy when assisting other agencies during an emergency, including, but not limited to, salaries, overtime, backfill, lodging, food, fuel, personal protective equipment, and specialty response and support equipment.