We know… it seems like every other day there’s a new viral alert about what formerly safe toy/activity could now bring about your child’s death or demise. But the one recently issued by the City of Buckeye Fire Department on Facebook seems to carry some serious weight.
If any of your kids are a fan of pool noodles, it’s worth the two-minute read to learn about how to safely store the toys and pre-check them for dangerous creatures that may be lurking inside.
Keep your splish-splash summer fun safe by taking the right precautions!
The Buckeye Fire Department’s post reads:
“POOL NOODLE ALERT!!!
This story was passed on by one of our citizens-
Watch where you store your pool noodles when they are not in use. Apparently, 2 pool noodles were left outside of the pool up against their cinderblock wall. The next time they went to use the pool, the pool noodles were picked up and brought to the swimming pool. Out popped a rattlesnake. The snake did not attack, but was concerned about the pool noodles as there were a couple of young rattlesnakes who were still inside the pool noodle..
After some research, we found that there have been reports of snakes (NOT RATTLESNAKES-they do not lay eggs) actually laying their eggs inside the pool noodle itself or around pool noodles that have been left outdoors near bushes or block fences.
If you come into contact with a rattlesnake, or any other type of snake, stay calm.
One of the worst things you can do when coming across a rattlesnake is to start panicking. Snakes rely on vibrations in the ground to determine where you are. If you start moving fast and abruptly, you’ll only scare the snake more.
If you’ve seen the snake before you came across it, give it a lot of space. You can easily walk around it without frightening it. Just keep in mind that rattlesnakes can coil up and strike at great lengths, so give it as much space as possible.
If the first indication of a rattlesnake’s presence is the sound of its rattle, you’ve already startled it. Instead of running, stay still. Chances are, the snake will stop rattling and slither off after it has calmed down. Humans are much bigger than snakes, so they don’t see any benefit in biting if it doesn’t need to protect itself. They’ll more than likely slither away to safety on their own.
If you have any questions relating to snakes and their behaviors, please contact Rattlesnake Solutions at 480-237-9975. They have some great tips and advice.”
