Summer in Arizona: Fountain Hills firefighters stay busy with daily summer snake calls
Arizona summer brings snake calls surge
Summer heat is driving snakes toward residential properties in Fountain Hills, and local fire crews are handling multiple calls a day. FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.
FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. - Fountain Hills firefighters are busy this summer. They are not putting out house fires, but rather going on calls for snakes.
Fountain Hills fire crews went on about 1,100 snake calls last fiscal year. That breaks down to about three calls a day. A single shift went on six calls before noon.
Those calls come in several times a day, especially in the summer, and it is the fire department's job to remove and relocate the creatures.
Local perspective:
Many people may think Fountain Hills firefighters go on a lot of fire calls, but medical calls actually top the list, and right below medical emergencies are calls for snakes, and it becomes quickly apparent how fast those calls can come in.
Cameras were rolling for 30 seconds when a snake call came in. By 10:00 a.m., it was already the fourth call of the day. The snake was a smaller one, sitting in a corner outside a home.
This was not the first rodeo for the homeowner.
"Rather not kill the snakes, but I don't want to see him released. You know right across the wash cause they come back," resident David Cook said.
Firefighter Rocky Craig snatched the snake with a snake grabber, threw it into a bucket, and then released it into the wild away from any homes. It is a dangerous job, but somebody has to do it.
"I try to catch it by its head so you have more control of where you're striking. They do have a large striking distance put them in the bucket you know make sure we're clear cover the bucket. And that's it," Fountain Hills Firefighter Rocky Craig said.
Before the crew could even get back to the fire station, another snake call came in. This time, it was a bigger snake hiding under a house near the pool pump. The reptile nearly bit the pool service worker and was not thrilled to see Craig.
Dig deeper:
Past snake removals in town include everything from pit vipers to king snakes, but the calls are mostly for diamondbacks. Craig balances the scales of the reptiles he respects and the homeowners he tries to help.
"You know this is part of the job being over here for the community and that's what we do so whatever it takes afternoon I gotta go," Craig said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from resident David Cook, Fountain Hills Firefighter Rocky Craig, and past FOX 10 reporting.