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Florida Forest Service prepares for wildfire season

Posted at 4:55 PM, Nov 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-15 20:31:36-05

Can you feel it in the air?

Very soon, the rainy season and the humidity that comes with it will break.

That's good news for us, but for Florida's forest rangers, that means fire season is close.

Their most stressful time of the year.

Governor Scott offered some relief this week, saying he wants to give the Florida Forest Service a 10 percent pay raise in his upcoming budget.

On Mary Sofield's block in Stuart, there are many unsettling images that stand out from last wildfire season.

"What stays in my mind was watching a young family with their little babies running down the road," said Sofield.

Meanwhile, at Peck Lake Park in Hobe Sound, Dave Grubich with the Florida  Forest Service and his crews are mowing vegetation to protect nearby homes.

That's important because the Florida Forest Service is expecting another busy wildfire season and don't think all this rain is a good thing according to Grubich.

"More things to burn and on top of that and in addition to that we had a couple hurricanes, there's more debris," said Grubich.

He's also asking homeowners like Mary to do their part.

"I hope and pray that we don't have what we saw last year," said Sofield.

FFS will continue to provide defense for homes at different areas like Peck Lake Park.