GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 570
Short Title: Responsible Firefighting Foam Management Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Davis, K. Hall, Clampitt, and Pyrtle (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Emergency Management and Disaster Recovery, if favorable, Agriculture and
Environment, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 1, 2025
*H570 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO FORBID USE OF FIREFIGHTING FOAMS CONTAINING PFAS CHEMICALS 2
FOR FIREFIGHTING TRAINING OR TESTING PURPOSES. 3
Whereas, communities around the State are facing threats to their drinking water 4
sources and the health of their citizens due to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); and 5
Whereas, one of the major sources of this contamination is certain firefighting foams, 6
and in particular the firefighting foams used to fight petroleum fires, called aqueous film forming 7
foam (AFFF); and 8
Whereas, PFAS contamination is strongly linked to cancer, thyroid problems, 9
reproductive system damage, and impairment to children's growth and development; and 10
Whereas, cancer is now the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters; and 11
Whereas, less toxic alternatives to AFFF containing PFAS have been developed that 12
are environmentally friendly, such as synthetic fluorine free foam; and 13
Whereas, while AFFF may continue to be used because it is a more effective fire 14
suppressant in combating petroleum type fires, firefighters will have reduced exposure to PFAS 15
contamination if less toxic alternatives are used for training, practice, or testing; Now, therefore, 16
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 17
SECTION 1.(a) This act shall be known as and may be cited as the "Responsible 18
Firefighting Foam Management Act." 19
SECTION 1.(b) Article 21A of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is amended by 20
adding a new Part to read: 21
"Part 8. Responsible Firefighting Foam Management Act. 22
"§ 143-215.104FF. Definitions. 23
The following definitions apply in this Part: 24
(1) Class B firefighting foam. – Foams designed for flammable liquid fires. 25
(2) Fixed system. – A complete installation piped from a central foam supply 26
source that discharges foam on the flammable liquid hazard through 27
permanently installed discharge devices. 28
(3) PFAS chemicals. – Per-fluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances that 29
include any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing 30
at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom, and are designed to be fully 31
functional in Class B firefighting foam. 32
(4) Testing. – Any calibration, conformance, or fixed system testing of Class B 33
firefighting foam. 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 570-First Edition
(5) Testing facility. – A facility that allows the discharge of Class B firefighting 1
foam for testing in nonemergency situations. 2
"§ 143-215.104GG. Prohibition of certain firefighting foams for training, practice, or 3
testing. 4
(a) No person, local government, or State agency may discharge for training or practice 5
purposes Class B firefighting foam that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals. 6
(b) No person, local government, or State agency may discharge for testing purposes 7
Class B firefighting foam that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals unless otherwise 8
required by law or an authority having jurisdiction and a testing facility has implemented 9
appropriate containment, treatment, and disposal measures to prevent releases of Class B 10
firefighting foam into the environment. 11
(c) Non-fluorinated training foams, such as synthetic fluorine free foam, or other 12
non-fluorinated surrogates shall be used for firefighting training, and training shall be conducted 13
under conditions conducive to the collection of spent foam regardless of foam type. 14
(d) The Office of the State Fire Marshal may adopt rules to implement this Part." 15
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective December 1, 2025. 16