PHOENIX — As the weather in Arizona starts to heat up, rattlesnakes are beginning to poke their heads out of their snake holes in search of food.

Scottsdale Fire Chief Tom Shannon told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Tuesday that for the most part, the poisonous snakes will likely mind their own business and it will be okay if you just leave them alone.

“The biggest thing is just let them do their thing,” Shannon said. “They’re usually just headed somewhere else to either bed down or find food.”

In the event where the reptiles are creating problems or dangerous situations, the fire department will come to the rescue for those that reach out to the nonemergency line or 911.

“We will come out and what we do is we usually will go ahead and remove that snake for you and relocate it within a reasonable distance from your home, but not so far that it endangers its life and its ability to reacclimate to its habitat,” Shannon said.

The snakes serve an important role in keeping rodents and other critters down, the fire chief said, therefore, it is important to protect the species.

“If you do have an emergency, go ahead and call us. We’ll come out and help you,” Shannon said.

According to Shannon, the fire department responds to several calls for snakes each week and sometimes multiple calls per day.

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