Hazardous Materials Management Plans (HMMP) and Hazardous Materials Inventory Statements (HMIS)

The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the California Fire Code Hazardous Materials Management Plan and Hazardous Materials Inventory Statement of the Unified Program. The HMMP/HMIS requirements were developed during the 1980s around the same time as the Hazardous Materials Release Response Plan and Inventory (HMRRP or Business Plan) requirements in chapter 6.95 of the California Heath and Safety Code. The HMMP/HMIS requirements have been incorporated by adoption into the California Fire Code, as part 9 of title 24 in the California Code of Regulations.

Because the requirements of the HMMP/HMIS and the Business Plan are similar, the two Unified Program elements have been merged, to the extent possible, to meet the intent of coordinating, consolidating, and making the programs consistent, while reducing regulatory burden on businesses and duplication of effort by regulatory agencies. The purpose of the fire code element is to enhance coordination and communication among the Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA), participating agencies (PA), fire agencies, and business stakeholders. To accomplish this, the statutes and regulations provide for:

• Communication - among the CUPA, PA, businesses, and fire agencies for sharing hazardous materials information;
• Coordination - of activities, such as inspection, enforcement, and emergency response to avoid overlap and duplication of effort, and;
• Consistency and Consolidation - of laws, regulations, ordinances, policies, and procedures to prevent unnecessary burden on business.

The HMMP/HMIS and the Business Plan provide vital facility chemical and emergency response information to regulators, first responders, and the public with respect to community-right-to-know laws and emergency response preparedness. In contrast to the Business Plan requirements, the following additional items are pertinent to HMMP/HMIS:

• A fire chief may require additional information to the Business Plan to meet the California Fire Code HMMP/HMIS requirements. Each Unified Program Agency should check with the local fire chief for additional required information.
• A fire chief may also require submission of the HMMP/HMIS below the state Business Plan threshold quantity amounts of 55 gallons (liquid), 200 cubic feet (gas), and 500 pounds (solid) for building occupancy type and fire code permits.

Within 15 days of receipt and confirmation, the CUPA must forward the Business Plan data collected to other local agencies in a format easily interpreted by those agencies with shared responsibilities for the protection of public health and safety and the environment.

• Forms
• Laws and Regulations: Hazardous Materials Management Plan (HMMP) and Hazardous Materials Inventory Statement (HMIS)

For more information contact Jennifer Lorenzo by email at jennifer.lorenzo@fire.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 324-0232.