Fire officials prepare for hurricane season after busy wildfire season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Following the busy wildfire season, the lack of current resources may leave some first responders stretched thin heading into hurricane season.

While the recent rainfall seen across North Central Florida may improve drought conditions, the impact of months of dry weather won’t just disappear, first responders say.

“The problem is when your system has been taxed from responding to all these wildfires,“ Jason Cerrano, Research and Development Lead at IDEX Fire & Safety, said. ”Now you have big response-type events coming in with hurricanes right after that."

Fire officials say drought recovery takes time and resources that were heavily used during the wildfire season. Although hurricane season could bring more rain, emergency managers say new challenges arise when one demanding season rolls into another.

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