Vehicles: firefighting equipment.

(1) Existing law regulates the operation of firefighting equipment, as defined, and permits certain persons employed as a firefighter or registered as a volunteer firefighter to operate firefighting equipment only if the person holds a class A, class B, or class C license, with certain exceptions, and a firefighter endorsement issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, after providing to the department proof of current employment or registration as a volunteer firefighter with a fire department and evidence of fire equipment operation training, passing the written firefighter examination developed by the department with the cooperation of the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and submitting a report of medical examination on a department-approved form. Existing law authorizes the department to issue restricted class A licenses or noncommercial class B licenses under specified conditions. This bill would instead authorize the operation of firefighting equipment by either a person with a firefighter endorsement who holds a class C license, a restricted class A license, or a noncommercial class B driver's license, or by a person holding a class A or B license, as appropriate for that equipment. (2) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.