File #: T2025-4016    Version: * Name: Notice and provision to fire department personnel of firefighting personal protective equipment containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Type: Introduction Status: Introduced
Committee: Committee on Fire and Emergency Management
On agenda: 11/12/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to notice and provision to fire department personnel of firefighting personal protective equipment containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Sponsors: Joann Ariola
Council Member Sponsors: 1
Summary: This bill would require the Fire Commissioner to provide written notice to Fire Department employees when providing any firefighting personal protective equipment that the Fire Commissioner knows or reasonably should know contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This bill would also require that the Fire Commissioner only provide Fire Department employees with firefighting personal protective equipment that the Commissioner knows does not contain intentionally added PFAS and does not contain PFAS at or above a level set by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation by regulation. This restriction would commence on January 1, 2028 or later, and would apply to the extent the Fire Commissioner determines practicable. Finally, this bill would require the Fire Commissioner to document each instance of failure to comply with the provisions of this bill in the Fire Department’s personnel orders until the Fire Commissioner takes corrective action.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No., 2. Int. No.

Int. No.

 

By Council Member Ariola

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to notice and provision to fire department personnel of firefighting personal protective equipment containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 15 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 15-151 to read as follows:

§ 15-151 Notice regarding and provision of firefighting personal protective equipment. a. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Firefighting personal protective equipment. The term “firefighting personal protective equipment” means any clothing designed, intended, or marketed to be worn by firefighting personnel in the performance of their duties, for use in firefighting and rescue activities, including but not limited to jackets, pants, shoes, gloves, helmets, and respiratory equipment.

Intentionally added chemical. The term “intentionally added chemical” means a chemical in a product that serves an intended function or technical effect in the product or product component, including but not limited to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances within intentionally added chemicals and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are intentional breakdown products of an added chemical that also have a functional or technical effect in the product or product component.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The term “perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances” means a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon.

Personnel order. The term “personnel order” means an official bulletin issued by the commissioner that provides information pertaining to employees of the department, including but not limited to changes in duty, promotions, disciplinary actions, retirements, and deaths.

b. Notice. Beginning no later than 90 days after the effective date of this subdivision, the commissioner shall, when providing firefighting personal protective equipment that the commissioner knows or reasonably should know contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances to an employee of the department, provide written notice to such employee that such equipment contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

c. Provision. To the maximum extent practicable as determined by the commissioner, the commissioner shall only provide to employees of the department any component of firefighting personal protective equipment that the commissioner knows:

1. Does not contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances as intentionally added chemicals; and

2. Does not contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances at or above the level established by the department of environmental conservation by regulation pursuant to paragraph (c) of subdivision 5 of section 391-u of the general business law, as added by chapter 58 of the laws of 2025.

d. Compliance. The commissioner shall list each instance of the commissioner’s failure to comply with subdivision b or c of this section in each personnel order issued subsequent to such failure, until the commissioner takes corrective action by: (i) providing written notice to an employee of the department that personal protective equipment such employee received contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, where such employee did not receive such notice at the time of receiving such equipment in violation of subdivision b of this section; or (ii) providing a component of personal protective equipment to an employee of the department that does not contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of subdivision c of this section, where such employee previously received such component in violation of such subdivision.   

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately, except that subdivision c of section 15-151 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by this local law, takes effect on January 1, 2028, or on a different date prescribed by the New York state legislature for commencement of the prohibition set forth in paragraph (c) of subdivision 5 of section 391-u of the general business law with respect to any particular component of firefighting personal protective equipment.

 

DPM

LS #19513/19804

10/02/2025 2:15 PM