The Ag Pass program provides access passes to agricultural workers so they can care for crops, livestock, or help guide emergency responders when wildfires, floods, or other emergencies trigger road closures. The program aims to keep essential farming operations running and support first responders without compromising public safety.
CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Nate Hamm, who helped develop the training curriculum, explains the program’s purpose: “They can come back in, they can help us find out where the water is, how to turn it on, give us some roads that we might not know about, some passes to get through different areas. And they're going to try and come back in anyways [and] this gives them a legal way to do that.”
Ag Pass requires a four-hour training session that covers fire weather and behavior, entrapment avoidance, general incident command system knowledge, and practical guidance on moving around a fire camp and recognizing safety concerns.
Locally, the Ag Pass training is administered by the San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture. The program has offered sessions since 2023 and renews every two years to keep the training current and relevant for evolving disaster conditions.
County officials say roughly 30 to 40 passes have been issued to date, with additional operations still eligible for participation as disasters loom.
To qualify for an Ag Pass, a property must be at least 40 acres and located in a State Responsibility Area of the county. The land must be used for commercial agricultural purposes or for agricultural research or instruction by an educational institution.
County officials emphasize that even with a pass, access is not guaranteed; safety remains the top priority. The pass simply provides a clearer, more predictable path for legitimate access during emergencies, helping farmers and ranchers respond more quickly and aiding emergency responders.
Training sessions for the Ag Pass program are scheduled for April 14, 16, 21, and 23. Interested participants can sign up on the San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture’s website.
