TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Itsssss a creature Ed Barkowski always sees in the summer….snakesssss.
“They could be anywhere on the property but more often we’ll find them out here on the street areas,” Bartkowski said.
He lives in the Foothills in Tucson and sometimes he sees them once a week while other times he’ll only see them once a month.
“Usually more in the early morning hours and in the later evening hours when it starts to cool down,” he said.
That’s why he has his dog trained to slither away from snakes, and for extra protection, uses wire over the holes in his fence.
“But that doesn’t mean that it’s always full-proof. We’ve found a couple of small rattlesnakes over the years that have still somehow gotten in,” Bartkowski said.
Just in case he needs to, he always has his snake tongs and bucket ready as well.
However, if you don’t want to catch the snakes yourself like Bartkowski, Rural Metro Fire Department can also catch the snakes for you using their snake pole.
“We want to be a few inches past its head. You don’t want the middle of the body. You want to be near the head so it doesn’t bite you,” firefighter and paramedic James Degnan said.
When he goes out to catch them, he sees a variety of snake species like rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, and Gila monsters.
He said usually they get about 15 a shift in the summer and throughout the department about 25 per shift.
“Where the houses are more built into the desert….those are the residents that call us the most,” Degnan said.
After putting the snake in a bucket they drive it out about a quarter mile, which is the designated distance by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
If you do get bit by snake, hissss advice: leave it to the professionals.
“Don’t apply a tourniquet or anything like, anything you’ve seen on TV. Call 911,” he said.
