Existing law authorizes the State Fire Marshal to propose, adopt, and administer the regulations that the State Fire Marshal deems necessary in order to ensure fire safety in buildings and structures within this state, including regulations related to construction, modification, installation, testing, inspection, labeling, listing, certification, registration, licensing, reporting, operation, and maintenance. Existing law authorizes the State Fire Marshal to establish and collect reasonable fees necessary to implement these provisions. Under existing law the State Fire Marshal has enacted regulations for the certification and regulation of fire sprinkler fitters pursuant to the above-described authority. A violation of these regulations is a misdemeanor.

This bill, the State Fire Marshal Fire Suppression Education and Training Safety Act, would codify and revise and recast the above-described regulations for the certification and regulation of fire sprinkler fitters. The bill would prohibit a person from working on a water- or chemical-based fire suppression system, as defined, without first being certified or registered by the State Fire Marshal, except as provided. The bill would establish training and other application requirements for a fire sprinkler fitter trainee, a fire sprinkler fitter apprentice, and a certified fire sprinkler fitter. The bill would impose specified supervision requirements and would require a licensed fire protection contractor to ensure the people it assigns to work on a fire suppression system are appropriately certified or registered.