A Fountain Hills man was bitten by a rattlesnake recently as he put his hand into some bushes in the landscaping near his home.

The man was bitten once on the hand and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Fountain Hills Fire Chief Randy Roberts said this is a tough way to be reminded that snakes are active in the community right now.

He noted that snake bites are rather unusual, however, and as long as a person uses caution there shouldn’t be any uncomfortable encounters.

As long as a person uses caution and looks where they put their hands or feet, such as avoiding bushes or rocks, and not deliberately provoking a snake, they probably will not get bit, according to Roberts.

Another thing residents should keep in mind is that if they leave the house during daylight hours and don’t plan to be back before dark, they should leave a light on so they can see a snake if there is one curled up at the front door.

Fountain Hills is a community that has heavy interface with the surrounding Sonoran Desert, meaning snakes and other wildlife are common.

Firefighters believe people should try to live in harmony with the natural environment.

Fountain Hills Fire Department will respond to remove snakes from the property of residents. However, they believe people should consider carefully whether the snake should be removed. Firefighters do not want to be in the position of killing snakes, and in many cases the calls to remove snakes are just not necessary.

If they are in a yard that is not fenced or along the street, they are not hurting anyone and will move along on their own pretty quickly, according to Roberts.

The criteria in which firefighters will respond without question include the following:

*A snake bite; this is an emergency medical call that will get immediate response.

*If the snake is in the house or garage.

*If the snake is preventing the person from getting in or out of the house.

*If the snake is trapped within an enclosed yard.

*If the snake is an imminent threat to a person or pets.

Firefighters do not want to remove non-venomous snakes from the area where they are found, and they will try to get the resident to consider leaving the snake.

The bull snake, for example, can be intimidating for its size and appearance, but is actually a “good” snake to have around. It feeds on the same rodents as rattlesnakes, therefore making the area a place that rattlesnakes will not likely be found.

According to the American Herpetological Association, snakes are an important and effective means of rodent control and help prevent diseases spread by rodents.

As Fountain Hills has grown there are fewer and fewer places where firefighters can release a snake after they pick it up.

There are no open wash areas where there are no houses anymore, Fort McDowell does not want the snakes released there, and McDowell Mountain Regional Park poses a distance issue and may be getting overpopulated.

Firefighters end up relocating the snake to a nearby wash and it may return to the area.

There is also a financial consideration for the fire department. It might be a round trip of five to 10 miles, and with 800 snakes a year, that can add up to a lot of fuel cost.