Wow it’s true: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Border_Protection_Stations
I don’t think any other US state has checkpoints. This is a surprise to me.
Florida has a checkpoint for plants and possible invasive species, definitely not for firetrucks helping people though.
Imagine my surprise learning about them by pulling up to one. I don’t think it was even near the CA/OR, but like 50 miles into Cali on the interstate. All of a sudden I see an officer flagging me at a little booth, I figured it was an emergency ahead or maybe I ended up on a toll road? The first thing he says to me was something along the lines of ‘Got any fruit or vegetables in the vehicle?’ And I just respond ‘I’m sorry, what?’ He must get that a lot, he pretty much waved me through as he was explaining.
I brought a prepackaged fruit cup my next trip just to see what would happen but I ended up doing the coastal route and never got stopped going that way.
