ARTICLE 3.8. Hazardous Substances Emergency Response Training [8574.19. - 8574.22.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 3.8.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8574.19. Section 8574.19.

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that, in order to protect the public health and safety and the environment, and to reduce personal injury and property loss resulting from the sudden release of hazardous substances into the environment, it is necessary to establish a single, coordinated, and standardized hazardous substances incident response training and education plan for firefighters and law enforcement, emergency rescue, and environmental health personnel. A standardized hazardous substances incident response training and education program is necessary to ensure a coordinated emergency response capability throughout the state, and to eliminate duplicative and inconsistent hazardous substances emergency response training and education programs. (b) In enacting this article, the Legislature recognizes that it is necessary to designate a single state agency to be responsible for the development of minimum standards relative to course content and subject matter for training and education of hazardous substance incident response personnel in order to avoid duplication of effort and inconsistent applications of safety procedures and protocols. The Legislature does not intend, by enacting this article, to preempt or nullify any hazardous substance incident response procedures and protocols which take into account existing conditions peculiar to a locality or region. (c) For purposes of this article, “program” means the California Hazardous Substances Incident Response Training and Education Program established pursuant to Section 8574.20.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8574.20. Section 8574.20.

The Office of Emergency Services shall manage the California Hazardous Substances Incident Response Training and Education Program to provide approved classes in hazardous substance response, taught by trained instructors, and to certify students who have completed these classes. To carry out this program, the Office of Emergency Services shall do all of the following: (a) Adopt regulations necessary to implement the program. (b) Establish a training and education program by developing the curriculum to be used in the program in colleges, academies, the California Specialized Training Institute, and other educational institutions, as specified in Section 8574.21. (c) Establish recommended minimum standards for training emergency response personnel and instructors, including, but not limited to, fire, police, and environmental health personnel. (d) Make available a training and education program in the use of hazardous substances emergency rescue, safety, and monitoring equipment, on a voluntary basis, at the California Specialized Training Institute. (e) Train and certify instructors at the California Specialized Training Institute according to standards and procedures developed by the curriculum development advisory committee, as specified in Section 8588.10. (f) Approve classes, as meeting the requirements of the program, if the classes meet the curriculum developed by the Office of Emergency Services pursuant to Section 8574.21 and the instructor received training and certification at the California Specialized Training Institute, as specified in subdivision (e). (g) Certify students who have successfully completed a class approved as meeting the requirements of the program. (h) Review and revise, as necessary, the program. (i) Establish and collect admission fees and other fees that may be necessary to be charged for advanced or specialized training given at the California Specialized Training Institute. These fees shall be used to offset costs incurred pursuant to this article.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8574.21. Section 8574.21.

(a) The Office of Emergency Services shall develop the curriculum to be used in classes that meet the program requirements and shall adopt standards and procedures for training instructors at the California Specialized Training Institute. (b) The curriculum for the training and education program established pursuant to this article shall include all of the following aspects of hazardous substance incident response actions: (1) First responder training. (2) On-scene manager training. (3) Hazardous substance incident response training for management personnel. (4) Hazardous materials specialist training that equals or exceeds the standards of the National Fire Protection Association. (5) Environmental monitoring. (6) Hazardous substance release investigations. (7) Hazardous substance incident response activities at ports. (c) The curriculum development advisory committee described in Section 8588.10 shall advise the Office of Emergency Services on the development of course curricula and the standards and procedures specified in subdivision (a). In advising the Office of Emergency Services, the committee shall do the following: (1) Assist, and cooperate with, representatives of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges in developing the course curricula. (2) Ensure that the curriculum developed pursuant to this section is accredited by the State Board of Fire Services. (3) Define equivalent training and experience considered as meeting the initial training requirements as specified in subdivision (a) that existing employees might have already received from actual experience or formal education undertaken, and which would qualify as meeting the requirements established pursuant to this article. (d) This article does not affect the authority of the State Fire Marshal granted pursuant to Section 13142.4 or 13159 of the Health and Safety Code. (e) Upon completion of instructor training and certification pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 8574.20 by any employee of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol may deem any training programs taught by that employee to be equivalent to any training program meeting the requirements established pursuant to this article.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8574.22. Section 8574.22.

The Office of Emergency Services may hire professional and clerical staff pursuant to the State Civil Service Act (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18500) of Division 5 of Title 2). However, any person employed pursuant to this section shall be employed only at the California Specialized Training Institute.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026