Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 382, Sec. 2. (AB 841) Effective January 1, 2026. Repealed as of January 1, 2031, by its own provisions.
(a)The State Fire Marshal shall develop, in consultation with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, a working group to make recommendations regarding personal protective equipment used in responding to lithium-ion battery fires.
(b)The working group shall include members of the State Board of Fire Services, academia, health and safety experts, a representative from the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and a labor organization representing the utility workforce, as determined by the State Fire Marshal.
(c)The working group shall review, and for the purpose of making recommendations shall consider, at a minimum, all of the following:
(1)The latest personal protective equipment to limit exposure to lithium and other heavy metals when responding to fires where lithium-ion batteries are present.
(2)Technology to clean personal protective equipment after response to a lithium-ion battery fire.
(3)Whether different types of personal protective equipment should be used for different types of lithium-ion battery fires, including large scale battery energy storage facilities, home-based battery energy storage facilities, and electric vehicles that have lithium-ion batteries.
(4)Current decontamination practices at the fire scene to reduce exposures and potential negative health consequences.
(d)The recommendations developed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be delivered to the Legislature no later than September 1, 2026.
(e)(1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (d) is inoperative on January 1, 2030, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(2)A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (d) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(f)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed.
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