Fire season preps: weed abatement deadline arrives in Contra Costa County
Tuesday is the deadline day for weed abatement in Contra Costa County. With abatement efforts, fire departments say all property owners have a safer fire season.
Pete Ferraro owns AAA Tractor Services in the East Bay, For three months out of the year, he tackles 300 accounts. He's been doing this for 30 years and knows the importance of minimizing fire hazards.
"We do anything from the backyard to the back 40," said Ferraro. "Now this year was a really odd year because January-March you got no rain at all then April we got rain which is usually when we start working."
Property owners hire Ferraro to manage weeds or wild plants -- that are flammable and could create a fire hazard. His job is to prevent or reduce the spread of wildfire from one property to another by creating fire breaks.
"We know we can be loud and messy but it's a lot better to have a little dust and some noise, than fire and smoke," said Ferraro
Other Bay Area counties have similar requirements, but weed abatement doesn't always require a tracker with disks - sometimes it is done by hand with the weed eater for smaller properties.
"You gotta give a safe zone around your home. You gotta protect yourself, protect your neighbors. most folks realize that," said Ferraro.