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

Assembly Member Bryan's legislation addressing private fire prevention contractors establishes new protocols for their access to public water sources during active fire incidents, requiring explicit authorization from incident command or jurisdictional authorities before equipment connections can be made. The measure, supported by principal coauthors Assembly Member McKinnor and Senator Cervantes, builds upon existing Office of Emergency Services oversight of private fire prevention resources.

The bill directs the Office of Emergency Services to develop comprehensive regulations for private contractors' equipment and operations. These include requirements that all vehicles and equipment be clearly marked as non-emergency resources, prohibitions on the use of emergency lights and sirens, and restrictions against labeling that could suggest affiliation with official fire departments. The Office may consult both private contractors and public fire agencies in crafting these regulations.

This addition to California's FIRESCOPE program framework creates distinct operational boundaries between public firefighting forces and private prevention contractors. The measure maintains the Office of Emergency Services' central role in coordinating multi-agency firefighting responses while adding specific parameters around private contractors' use of public infrastructure during fire events.