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<ns0:Id>20250AB__163999INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-01-26</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Davies</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
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<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Davies</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 1797.161 of, and to add Sections 1797.162 and 131054 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to health. </ns0:Title>
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<ns0:Subject>California Drowning Prevention and Rescue Act.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law requires specified lifeguards, firefighters, and peace officers to be trained to administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and requires the training to meet standards prescribed by the Emergency Medical Services Authority. Existing law requires, by January 1, 2027, a public safety agency that provides “911” call processing services for emergency medical response to provide prearrival medical instructions to “911” callers requiring medical assistance, including, among other things, CPR instructions for children and children and adults. Existing law also requires persons providing aquatic instruction at a public swimming pool to possess current certificates from an American Red Cross or a YMCA of the USA lifeguard training program, or have equivalent qualifications, as determined by the State Department of Public Health, and requires lifeguard service, as
defined, to be provided for any public swimming pool that is of wholly artificial construction and for the use of which a direct fee is charged. </html:p>
<html:p>This bill would clarify that CPR instructions, for purposes of the above-described “911” provision, also include CPR instruction in both ventilation and chest compressions for calls that involve a drowning victim. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in coordination with other specified state entities, to review and update the state’s public communications efforts to ensure everyone in California is educated about the importance of CPR knowledge and how to obtain CPR training.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would also require the Emergency Medical Services Authority to, on or before June 30, 2028, and biennially thereafter, submit a report to the Commission on Emergency Medical Services and the Legislature on California’s lifeguard workforce, as prescribed, to better
understand, track, and report on California’s lifeguard workforce.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Drowning Prevention and Rescue Act.</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 1797.161 of the
<ns0:DocName>Health and Safety Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>1797.161.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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By January 1, 2027, a public safety agency that provides “911” call processing services for emergency medical response shall provide prearrival medical instructions to “911” callers requiring medical assistance, including, at a minimum, all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Airway and choking medical instructions for infants, children, and adults.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Automatic external defibrillator (AED) and CPR instructions for children and
adults, including, but not limited to, CPR instruction in both ventilation and chest compressions for calls that involve a drowning victim.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Childbirth.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Bleeding control and hemorrhage.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Administration of epinephrine by auto-injector for suspected anaphylaxis.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Administration of naloxone for suspected narcotics overdoses.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A public safety agency may satisfy the requirements of subdivision (a) by contracting with another public safety agency that provides prearrival medical instructions.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Prearrival medical instructions developed pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) shall
be approved by the local EMS agency medical director pursuant to subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 1797.223 and implemented consistent with the medical protocols and procedures adopted by the public safety agency.
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<html:p>
(d)
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This section does not require a public safety agency to update its policies and procedures if the public safety agency already provides prearrival medical instructions through emergency medical dispatch or other means and those instructions have been approved by the local EMS agency medical director.
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<html:p>
(e)
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A public safety agency dispatching peace officers to the scene of an emergency shall not constitute call processing services for emergency medical response for purposes of this section, even though the peace officers may administer first aid and CPR pursuant to Section 1797.183.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
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This section shall
not be construed to alter, modify, abridge, diminish, enlarge, or constrain the authority’s ability to adopt guidelines or regulations for emergency medical dispatch, including dispatcher training, under existing law, including, but not limited to, Sections 1797.103 and 1797.107.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(g)
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This section does not supersede Section 1797.201, 1797.223, 1798.6, or 1798.8, or Section 53110 of the Government Code.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Section 1797.162 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Health and Safety Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:Num>1797.162.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The Emergency Medical Services Authority shall, on or before June 30, 2028, and biennially thereafter, submit a report to the Commission on Emergency Medical Services and the Legislature on California’s lifeguard workforce, in both the public and private sectors, to better understand, track, and report on California’s lifeguard workforce.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The goals of the report include all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Begin the process of the development of a state lifeguard
plan with the goal to bring uniformity and a recognized professionalism and value to lifeguards in California.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Bring California’s lifeguard workforce up to the level of development, personnel oversight, reporting of personnel characteristics, and appropriate discipline framework that acknowledges the lifesaving importance of this water safety and drowning prevention workforce.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Elevate the value of the lifeguard workforce needed to maintain the level of the lifeguard workforce to help California achieve its water safety and drowning prevention goals of where drowning is a rare occurrence rather than a common occurrence and when a drowning incident occurs, the victim has the best chance of a full recovery.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The report shall include all of the following information:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The number of certified lifeguards in California.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The lifeguard certification levels within California’s lifeguard workforce.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Where lifeguards work regarding the settings they work in or are stationed at, and what percentage of lifeguards work at ocean beaches, lakes, rivers, or public or private pools, or are stationed at or embedded in fire departments or other emergency services entities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
How lifeguards are trained and what level of training is required for the various types of settings lifeguards work in.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The recertification requirements for lifeguards.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The average pay range and benefits provided for the
several types and levels of lifeguards.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(7)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The genders, ethnicities, and ages of California’s lifeguards.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(8)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The types of entities that manage or oversee California’s various lifeguards.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(9)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The types of entities that provide certification or licensing training for lifeguards.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(10)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The oversight, review, approval, and audits of the training entities training lifeguards in California.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(11)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The disciplinary oversight for California’s lifeguard workforce for breadth of duty, certification responsibilities, and illegal activities while on duty or off duty.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(12)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The number of lifeguards who have lost their certifications as
disciplinary action for an offense.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The initial report shall also include information on all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
How California’s lifeguards fit into California’s emergency medical services system.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Whether there is a relationship between the authority or the local EMS agencies and California’s Lifeguard workforce.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Suggestions on what would need to take place to integrate California’s lifeguards workforce, training, and discipline system into California’s emergency medical services system as a means to help improve the uniformity and strength of our state’s lifeguard workforce, including recommendations on how the lifeguard workforce and training programs could be supported by the authority, such as the authority advancing California’s
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT), paramedics, community paramedics, and other components of our emergency medical services and workforce.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 4.</ns0:Num>
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Section 131054 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Health and Safety Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:Num>131054.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_3F418857-2BBD-4E5B-AB93-7BF1751F1EDD">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The Legislature finds and declares that providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as provided appropriately per CPR training, immediately for drowning, heart attack, electrocution, drug overdose, or traumatic injury victims is critical to achieving the most optimal outcome for victims, with CPR for drowning involving both chest compressions and emergency breathing or ventilation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The State Department of Public Health shall, in coordination with other California health and emergency services and education entities, review and update the state’s public communications efforts to ensure everyone in California is educated about the importance of CPR knowledge and how to obtain CPR training.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The goal of the public communications efforts specified in paragraph (1) is to raise, by 2030, California’s knowledge of CPR from the current estimated rate of 50 percent of the adult population with knowledge about CPR and 40 percent of the adult population percent being trained in how to administer CPR, to 80 percent with knowledge about CPR and 75 percent being trained in how to administer CPR.
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