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AB 589

Firefighters: personal protective equipment.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by James Gallagher

AB 589 limits mandatory replacement of certain PPE for small/volunteer fire districts to once every 15 years, with safety exceptions.

Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.
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Bill Summary · AB 589

AB 589 — Firefighters: personal protective equipment (2025)

Status: Re‑referred to Assembly Committee on Labor & Employment (4/22/2025)
Introduced: February 12, 2025
Author: Gallagher
Subject: Firefighters; personal protective equipment (PPE)
Law amended: Labor Code §147.4

Purpose / intent

AB 589 limits how frequently the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Standards Board) may require replacement of certain firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) for small/volunteer fire districts. The bill is intended to reduce replacement costs and provide a predictable minimum service life for PPE used exclusively by qualifying districts, while preserving exceptions for safety or contamination concerns.

Background

Under current law, the Standards Board — in consultation with Cal/OSHA — must review National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for specified firefighter PPE every five years and consider aligning California safety orders with any NFPA revisions that provide greater protection. This bill amends that statutory review process by adding a limit on mandatory replacement frequency for certain districts.

Key provisions

  • Adds a provision to Labor Code §147.4 prohibiting the Standards Board from adopting any safety order or regulation that would require the specified firefighter PPE to be replaced more frequently than once every 15 years — unless the Board finds one of the following:
    • The PPE is unsafe due to wear and tear;
    • The PPE poses an immediate safety hazard; or
    • The PPE contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or any other currently known hazardous material.
  • The 15‑year replacement minimum applies only to PPE that is used exclusively by a fire district meeting any of these criteria:
    • Serves a population less than 40,000; or
    • A majority of firefighters are volunteers; or
    • Has an annual budget not greater than $200,000.
  • Retains the statutory five‑year NFPA review and the requirement that, if NFPA revisions provide greater protection, the Standards Board consider modifying California safety orders and render a decision by July 1 of the subsequent year.

Who is affected

  • Directly affected: small, volunteer, and very low‑budget fire districts meeting the listed criteria and the firefighters who use PPE exclusively assigned to those districts.
  • Indirectly affected: the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, Cal/OSHA, PPE manufacturers and vendors, and agencies involved in mutual aid or shared-equipment arrangements (equipment used by multiple agencies would not meet the “used exclusively” condition).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Cost savings and predictability for qualifying districts by setting a 15‑year minimum replacement interval.
  • Possible tension with future NFPA standards that recommend shorter replacement intervals; however, the bill allows earlier replacement where PPE is unsafe, hazardous, or contaminated with PFAS.
  • Practical implications where PPE is shared across jurisdictions: equipment not used exclusively by a qualifying district would not be eligible for the 15‑year limit.
  • The board must still complete its periodic NFPA reviews and decide whether to align state orders with NFPA revisions.

Legislative timeline (selected)

  • 2/12/2025: Introduced; read first time.
  • 2/24/2025: Referred to Committee on Labor & Employment.
  • 4/21/2025: Committee amendments; hearing canceled at author’s request.
  • 4/22/2025: Re‑referred to Committee on Labor & Employment.

Digest key: Majority vote; no appropriation; referred to fiscal committee.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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