EO B-16-12 PUBLIC SAFETY SPECIAL PERFORMANCE EXEMPTION - 4121.4

EO B-16-12 specifies that only public safety vehicles with special performance requirements are exempted from a state agency’s annual zero emission vehicle (ZEV) purchasing requirements. Governor Brown’s 2016 ZEV Action Plan requires the Department of General Services (DGS) to evaluate and provide further guidance to agencies as to the appropriate circumstances under which the public safety exemption should be invoked so as to ensure that ZEVs are integrated in to public safety mobile assets wherever feasible.

Accordingly, when evaluating the invocation of this exemption for a specific light-duty vehicle within its fleet, a state agency must be able to demonstrate that:

1. The vehicle is an authorized emergency vehicle pursuant to California Vehicle Code

   §165; and,

2. The vehicle, pursuant to California Vehicle Code §21055, may be
   1. driven in response to an emergency call or while engaged in rescue operations, or
   2. driven in immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law,
   3. driven in response to, but not returning from, a fire alarm, or
   4. operated from one place to another as rendered desirable or necessary by reason of an emergency call and operated to the scene of the emergency, or
   5. operated from one fire station to another or to some other location by reason of the emergency call; and,

    

3. The vehicle must be able to reach the anticipated emergency location within 30 minutes to no more than 1 hour.

    

4. Where emergency response is not the primary purpose of a vehicle, a state agency must be able to demonstrate that the specific vehicle may be used as part of an established mutual aid agreement that would necessitate an emergency response as outlined above.

Agencies shall submit a public safety special performance exemption justification either through the EO B-16-12 Public Safety Special Performance Exemption Request form located on the DGS website or include the agency justification in the Fleet Acquisition Plan Spreadsheet. Agencies are expected to evaluate their entire light-duty fleet for every opportunity to incorporate ZEVs over traditional vehicles. (An electronic copy of the EO B-16-12 Public Safety Special Performance Exemption Request Form can be found at the DGS website located at Office of Fleet and Asset Management Web Site)