Vehicles: emergency vehicles: fire apparatus.

(1) Existing law requires specified authorized emergency vehicles owned and operated by a governmental agency that are first purchased on or after January 1, 1994, to meet certain size, weight, and load requirements, including the requirement that the manufacturer weigh and certify fire apparatus to determine compliance with weight requirements. Existing law defines a "fire apparatus" as, among other things, a vehicle designed, maintained, and used exclusively for the suppression of fires or for fire prevention activities, including the training of firefighters. This bill would instead define a "fire apparatus" as a vehicle designed, maintained, and used under emergency conditions to transport personnel and equipment, or for the suppression of fires or mitigation of other hazardous situations, consistent with the 2009 edition of Standard 1901 of the National Fire Protection Association. Existing law, beginning July 2, 2010, authorizes overweight firetrucks with tandem or tridem axles to receive transportation permits from various public entities to operate on public roads but requires the permit to limit tandem and tridem weights to no more than 15% over the weight allowed by law. A violation of the Vehicle Code is a crime. This bill would specify that, notwithstanding the weight exemption provided for under existing law, a fire apparatus vehicle is prohibited from towing or hauling any other vehicle or equipment while operating under an overweight permit. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.