Section 2454 Of Article 4. Highway Spill Containment And Abatement Of Hazardous Substances From California Vehicle Code >> Division 2. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 4.
2454
. (a) The authority for incident command at the scene of an
on-highway hazardous substance incident is vested in the appropriate
law enforcement agency having primary traffic investigative authority
on the highway where the incident occurs. Responsibility for
incident command at the scene of an on-highway hazardous substance
incident shall continue until all emergency operations at the scene
have been completed and order has been restored.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the local governing body of a
city, whether general law or chartered, which has jurisdiction over
the location where an on-highway hazardous substance incident occurs
may assign the authority for incident command at the scene of an
on-highway hazardous substance incident on local streets and roads,
other than freeways, to either the local law enforcement agency or
the local fire protection agency. However, the department is
responsible for incident command at the scene of an on-highway
hazardous substance incident on all highways where the department has
primary traffic investigative authority. Any law enforcement agency
having primary traffic investigative authority may enter into written
agreements with other public agencies to facilitate incident command
at the scene of an on-highway hazardous substance incident on local
streets and roads other than freeways.
(c) For purposes of this section, "incident command at the scene
of an on-highway hazardous substance incident" means coordination of
operations which occur at the location of a hazardous substance
incident. This coordinating function does not include how the
specialized functions provided by the various other responding
agencies are to be performed. The incident commander at the scene of
an on-highway hazardous substance incident shall consult with other
response agencies at the scene to ensure that all appropriate
resources are properly utilized, and shall perform his or her
coordinating function in a manner designed to minimize the risk of
death or injury to other persons.