Fire safety experts from the Xiuzhou Fire Brigade in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, stated that in Xiuzhou as well as nearby counties and districts such as Nanhu, Haiyan, and Jiashan, incidents of venomous snake encounters have been occurring frequently lately. When you see a snake, don’t panic, avoid stomping your feet heavily to prevent vibrating the ground, and instead move slowly and gently to quickly leave the area. Since snakes cannot change direction as fast as humans, if a snake is chasing you, you should dodge left and right while running in an “S” pattern to evade it.
Venomous snakes generally have bright coloration, often have triangular-shaped heads, and possess thick, short tails. Fire safety experts say that if bitten by a snake, and if the wound quickly becomes red and swollen with two deep fang marks visible, it indicates that the snake is venomous. If bitten by a non-venomous snake, the wound will usually only have two neat rows of small, fine tooth marks.
“After being bitten by a venomous snake, immediately bind the affected area with a cloth strip or bandage 5 to 10 centimeters above the wound or at the base of the bitten finger (or toe). Use a sharp object to make a cross-shaped cut on the wound, then repeatedly squeeze from the surrounding area toward the wound to expel as much venom as possible, and rinse the wound with clean water or tea. In emergencies, you can also burn the wound with a match or cigarette butt to destroy the snake venom,” the expert reminded. While performing these self-rescue measures, try to minimize the movement of the injured person and get them to a hospital as quickly as possible. During transport, loosen the binding every 10 to 20 minutes for 1 to 2 minutes each time to prevent limb blood stasis and tissue necrosis. If you cannot identify the type of venomous snake, it is advisable to kill the snake and bring it to the hospital along with the victim.