Rural/Metro: Leave the Snake-Handling to Pros

Oct. 04--As the temperature continues to cool in early autumn, venomous snakes in the Yuma area become increasingly active.

Currently, Rural/Metro emergency personnel operating out of Station 10 in the Foothills responds to about one call for a snake removal each day.

"We get snakes throughout the whole summer, but we get a lot in the beginning and at the end," said Jeff Woodruff, Rural/Metro fire captain and paramedic for Station 10.

"At the beginning of summer and end of summer we might get two or three snake removals in my area per shift. We get a lot of them."

Diamondbacks and sidewinders are the most common snake Woodruff and his crew are called to remove.

"Sidewinders tend to be very aggressive," he said. "I actually had one sidewinder -- after we released him in the desert -- chase me almost back to the truck."

Young snakes are also dangerous, even though they are usually much smaller than their older counterparts.

"Absolutely," Woodruff said. "The younger ones really can't control how much venom they inject, whereas an older one will only inject so much so later on he can protect himself. The little one tends to use everything all at once and can have a more aggressive bite."

People who come across snakes should leave them alone and call 911, Woodruff warned.

"We prefer that no one messes with them because we don't want anybody getting bit," he said.

"Also, if they don't mess with them before we get there, the snake tends to be less aggravated when we show up to actually catch them. A lot of times when we get there they are so aggravated and so aggressive that it makes our little job a little harder and a little bit more of risk for us because the snake is so angry."

Woodruff and his crew use special gear and are specially trained to maintain safety.

"We do some initial training when people first get hired and then we do a lot of on-the-job training," he said. "If we are really concerned we will wear our fire gear because it is a lot harder for the snake to bite through that."

To catch a snake, Woodruff and his crew maintain a cool confidence and act steadily and swiftly, he said.

"If it is not worked up, the best thing to do is just walk up and grab it with a snake tong. As long as there is no hesitation, there usually isn't any problem. If the snake sees you are kind of dragging your feet, he is going to get more of an aggressive stance."

Woodruff stressed the importance of keeping a safe distance from any snake, especially this time of year when they are hard to identify.

"Because of the markings, especially toward the end of the summer, the snakes might be a little bleached out because of the sun," he said. "You might think you are picking up a snake that is not poisonous and it could be a regular rattlesnake."

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.

Copyright 2011 - The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.