3540 Department of Forestry, Fire Protection
Program Descriptions

2460 - STATE FIRE MARSHAL

The State Fire Marshal is responsible for the statewide protection of life and property through the development and application of fire protection engineering, education and enforcement. Activities include the following:
  • Code Development and Analysis: Objectives include the development and adoption of codes relating to fire/life safety used statewide by local fire and building authorities. The Division fosters, promotes and develops ways and means of protecting life and property against fire and panic in many ways, including the adoption and implementation of regulations for statewide application. The Code Development and Analysis Division prepares the California State Fire Marshal's fire and life safety regulations and building standards for review and adoption into the California Code of Regulations, Titles 19 and 24. The Division assists with the application of state laws, regulations, and code enforcement relating by a city, county, fire departments or fire districts, and building departments. The Division also reviews all of California's regulations relating to fire and life safety for relevancy, necessity, conflict, duplication and/or overlap.
  • Fire and Life Safety: This program is the main entity within the department for the application of laws and regulations related to fire prevention and life safety. This is achieved through code compliance inspections of new and existing buildings and plan review and construction inspections of State-Owned and State-Occupied projects as mandated by Health and Safety Code Sections 13108, 13143, 13145 and 13146. The SFM is responsible for fire & life safety in over 28,000 State-Owned and state-occupied facilities which include, State Prisons, Conservation Camps, Community Correctional facilities, State Mental Hospitals, State Developmental Centers, California State University and University of California campuses, California Agricultural District.
  • Fire Engineering and Arson and Bomb: The Fire Engineering Division administers licensing programs and provides services for product evaluation, certifications and listings. The division also oversees the Arson and Bomb Unit which has the responsibility to dispose seized illegal fireworks and conduct fire/explosion investigations and licensing enforcement. The division is responsible for 12 statewide programs, which includes the Building Materials Listing; Portable Fire Extinguishers; Flame Retardant Chemicals and Fabrics; Vapor Recovery; Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems; Fire Safe Cigarettes; Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA); Licensing Enforcement and Inspection; Lab Accreditation; Fireworks; and Motion Picture and Entertainment, Arson and Bomb Investigation and Fireworks Disposal. The Fire Engineering Division's primary functions are licensing, product approval, fire/explosion investigations and licensing enforcement.
  • Pipeline Safety: This program regulates approximately 4,800 miles of intrastate hazardous liquid pipelines that transport crude oil and refined products (e.g., gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc.) between offshore platforms, production fields, refineries and marine terminals. Regulated pipelines do not include those within production fields, marine terminals or refineries.
  • State Fire Training: Administers the California Fire Service Training and Education System and the Fire Service Training and Education Program for federal, state and local firefighters. The program oversees a California Fire Academy System for over 40 training academies that represent a partnership with the fire departments, community colleges and the State Fire Marshal. State Fire Training administers a professional certification system for firefighters and chief officers and receives program guidance from the State Board of Fire Services