Firefighters go through extensive training to learn how to fight fires and saves lives. But there is one call that won’t be found in a manual or taught in a classroom — snake wrangling.
While no official statistics are kept, the Sedona Fire District says it responds to an average of 40 to 50 snakes calls between spring and early fall, most of which come from the Village of Oak Creek and within Oak Creek Canyon.
“It’s really on-the-job training,” SFD Capt. Ralph Kurtz said. “There is no formal training. It comes from years of service and institutional knowledge. For example, I have a probationary firefighter and he recently went on his very first snake call, and I talked him through it and he was able to get his first rattlesnake.”
During his 20-year tenure with SFD, Kurtz estimates he personally has removed 30 to 40 snakes. Despite that experience, he said he never takes a snake call for granted. When asked if it still gets his heart pumping he said, “Oh, you bet. Definitely.”
When they receive a call for snake removal, the caller is told to stay away from the snake. Upon their arrival the firefighters doing the actual capturing will don their turnout gear [pants and boots] and gloves. They locate the snake and using a set of tongs and improvised bucket prepare for its removal.
“You never want to corner a snake,” he said. “Snakes don’t want to have anything to do with us. If a snake is in a corner of a yard, we always approach it from the side and leave it an out. It will take that out and that’s when we capture it using the tongs.”
Once snakes are captured, they are relocated, typically within a mile of where they are found.
Kurtz said it is rare for them to receive a call for a snake and it not be there upon their arrival. And if it has moved, they will search the area because the snake does pose a danger to the resident. Snakes hunt during the day, so homes that have water features often draw rodents or smaller-type prey. Unless disturbed, the snake will not leave the scene.
Because many residents know the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes, he said this often decreases the number of calls. This may be why 60% to 70% of the calls they go on involve venomous ones.
“Some people aren’t able to distinguish between the two,” he said. “Your average garter snake looks a lot like a rattlesnake.”
Despite the number of tourists using trails, he said they receive very few snake bite calls each year.
“An adult rattlesnake knows it can’t eat us so they don’t waste their venom on us because it’s very precious to them,” Kurtz said. “So, most adult rattlesnake bites are dry bites, meaning that they don’t inject venom. If you get bit, you’ll have the fang marks and it will start to get very red, swell and spread and burn as if your arm is on fire. This will not occur if it’s a dry bite. If you are bitten, always seek medical attention.”
In regard to a bite, a snake can only strike when it’s coiled and during a strike it can extend as much as half its body length.
“This is one of many reasons why snakes have earned our respect,” he said.
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 122 or by email at reland@larsonnewspapers.com
