BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1220
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Date of Hearing: August 4, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 1220 (Wolk) - As Amended: June 28, 2010
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:13-0
Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill expands the definition of "fire apparatus" for
purposes of exempting emergency vehicles from axle weight
limits. Specifically, the bill:
1)Expands the definition of "fire apparatus" - which currently
includes vehicles used for fire suppression - to also include
vehicles used for mitigation of other hazardous situations,
consistent with the 2009 edition of Standard 1901 of the
National Fire Protection Association..
2)Provides that the 15% fire apparatus overweight exemption does
not apply to supplemental towing and hauling equipment that
already exceeds permissible weight limits.
3)States that this bill does not limit the discretion of the
department or a local government to deny an application for an
overweight permit on the basis of good cause.
FISCAL EFFECT
No direct state costs, though adoption of expanded definition
could result in some unknown additional wear and tear, and hence
maintenance costs, on roads overtime.
COMMENTS
1)Background . Existing state law establishes maximum length,
width, and weight limits for a variety of vehicles and vehicle
combinations on state roads. Existing law exempts authorized
emergency vehicles, including fire apparatuses that a
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government agency owns and operates from these limitations.
These vehicles, however, if purchased on or after January 1,
1994, must comply with permit requirements that the Department
of Transportation (Caltrans) adopts. For purposes of this
provision, existing law defines a "fire apparatus" as a
vehicle or combination of vehicles designed, maintained, and
used exclusively for the suppression of fires or for fire
prevention activities, including vehicles used for
transporting water or other fire suppression materials.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a private,
membership organization founded in 1896 to promote the science
and improve the methods of fire protection and prevention,
electrical safety, and other related safety goals; to obtain
and circulate information and promote education and research
on these subjects; and to secure the cooperation of its
members and the public in establishing proper safeguards
against loss of life and property. Among its primary
functions, NFPA develops, publishes, and disseminates more
than 300 consensus codes and standards intended to minimize
the possibility and effects of fire and other risks, including
Standard 1901 which prescribes the attributes of various fire
apparatuses.
2)Rationale . Fire trucks operated by a public agency are exempt
from axle weight limits and can be operated on highways
without a transportation permit. The fire service industry is
requesting an expansion of this exemption to include other
emergency vehicle types in order to address two issues.
First, existing axle weight exemptions apply to fire trucks
only; they do not apply to other emergency vehicles, such as
vehicles for hazardous materials response and search and
rescue. The industry asserts that there has been a greater
need for emergency response vehicles of all types since
September 11, 2001.
Second, the federal Office of Homeland Security has been
awarding grants to states and local agencies to purchase
vehicles that have the capabilities to respond to non-fire
emergencies, such as incidents related to hazardous materials,
urban search and rescue, weapons of mass destruction, and
decontamination. However, California's axle weight exemptions
are restricted to just fire trucks, thereby making many of
these other emergency vehicles illegal under the state's
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current weight limits. The industry asserts that the expanded
exemption may make California more competitive when applying
for emergency response grants.
Analysis Prepared by : Brad Williams / PPR. / (916) 319-2081