Assembly BillChaptered/SignedHealth and Safety
AB 841: State Fire Marshal: personal protective equipment: battery fires.
What AB 841 does, verified December 7, 2025
The bill aims to standardize personal protective equipment for responding to lithium-ion battery fires. The state fire marshal is required to develop a working group with specified members to make recommendations on equipment use. The working group must consider the latest personal protective equipment to limit exposure to lithium and other heavy metals, cleaning technology, and current decontamination practices. The recommendations must be submitted to the legislature on or before September 1, 2026. The bill requires the recommendations to address different types of lithium-ion battery fires and whether different equipment should be used.
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 382, Statutes of 2025. (2025-10-06)Alert me
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| Oct. 06, 2025 | Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 382, Statutes of 2025. |
| Oct. 06, 2025 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep. 24, 2025 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. |
| Sep. 12, 2025 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3380.). |
| Sep. 12, 2025 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0.). |
Latest bill textChaptered version, October 6, 2025 · 792 words
Assembly Bill No. 841
CHAPTER 382
An act to add and repeal Section 13105.1 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to the State Fire Marshal.
[ Approved by Governor October 06, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 06, 2025. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 841, Patel. State Fire Marshal: personal protective equipment: battery fires.
Existing law authorizes the State Fire Marshal to make changes as may be necessary to standardize all existing fire protective equipment throughout the state.
This bill would require, until January 1, 2031, the State Fire Marshal, in consultation with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, to develop a working group with specified membership to make recommendations regarding personal protective equipment used in responding to lithium-ion battery fires. The bill would require, at a minimum, the working group to review, and for the purpose of making the recommendations to consider, the latest personal protective equipment to limit exposure to lithium and other heavy metals, technology to clean personal protective equipment, whether different types of personal protective equipment should be used for different types of lithium-ion battery fires, and current decontamination practices at the fire scene, as specified. The bill would require the recommendations to be submitted to the Legislature on or before September 1, 2026.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters in the United States. California’s firefighters are exposed to many known and suspected human carcinogens in the line of duty.
(b) Recent studies from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health confirm an increased risk of cancer in firefighters, including a 14-percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general United States population, a twofold increase in both the incidence and mortality of firefighters diagnosed with mesothelioma, and a tenfold increase in the incidents of bladder cancer among women in the fire service.
(c) In June 2022, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified occupational exposure from being a firefighter as a Group 1 known human carcinogen.
(d) In recent years, fires involving lithium-ion batteries have caused increased exposures to lithium and other heavy metals for firefighters.
(e) In 2021, a fire captain in the County of Orange experienced renal failure after responding to a fire at a facility storing and repairing lithium-ion batteries, ultimately requiring the firefighter to enter a disability retirement.
(f) In 2024, a truck carrying lithium-ion batteries overturned in the Port of Los Angeles causing a closure of several terminals for more than 24 hours.
(g) In 2024, a fire at a battery energy storage facility in Otay Mesa burned for eight days and required crews on scene for more than two weeks.
(h) The complexity and intensity of fires involving lithium-ion batteries require focused attention, including efforts to ensure firefighters have the appropriate personal protective equipment and protocols to reduce exposures and minimize health risks.
SEC. 2.
Section 13105.1 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:13105.1.
(a) The State Fire Marshal shall develop, in consultation with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, a working group to make recommendations regarding personal protective equipment used in responding to lithium-ion battery fires.(b) The working group shall include members of the State Board of Fire Services, academia, health and safety experts, a representative from the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and a labor organization representing the utility workforce, as determined by the State Fire Marshal.
(c) The working group shall review, and for the purpose of making recommendations shall consider, at a minimum, all of the following:
(1) The latest personal protective equipment to limit exposure to lithium and other heavy metals when responding to fires where lithium-ion batteries are present.
(2) Technology to clean personal protective equipment after response to a lithium-ion battery fire.
(3) Whether different types of personal protective equipment should be used for different types of lithium-ion battery fires, including large scale battery energy storage facilities, home-based battery energy storage facilities, and electric vehicles that have lithium-ion batteries.
(4) Current decontamination practices at the fire scene to reduce exposures and potential negative health consequences.
(d) The recommendations developed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be delivered to the Legislature no later than September 1, 2026.
(e) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (d) is inoperative on January 1, 2030, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (d) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(f) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed.
Text of AB 841 as chaptered, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions