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TAMPA TRIBUNE (Florida) 25 November 06 Firefighter Rescues Snake-Bitten Hiker (Mike Wells)
Tampa: With a 230-pound, snake-bitten deputy slung over his shoulder, a Hillsborough County firefighter crossed a mile of rough terrain on foot Saturday as he rushed to save the man's life.
Deputy Brandon Parker, 28, was off duty and walking with a friend, Circuit Judge Chet Tharpe Jr., on a nature trail at English Creek Park when a rattlesnake bit his left leg, officials said.
At 12:25 p.m., Tharpe called 911 from a cell phone to report Parker had been bitten by a diamondback rattlesnake, officials said.
The friends were deep inside the park, 2930 State Road 60. Rescuers drove a medical vehicle as far as they could down a dirt road before hopping on an all-terrain vehicle to ride 1½ miles through thick woods, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Lt. James Austin said.
They finished the trek on foot after reaching a wooden bridge too narrow for the four-wheeler. When they reached Parker, he was in shock.
"He was very pale, cold to the touch and sweating," Austin said. "His blood pressure was seriously low."
A helicopter arrived with a dose of anti-venom and Parker was flown to Tampa General Hospital in serious condition.
Austin said he was reminded of his days as a U.S. Army medic as he hefted Parker over his shoulders and carried him through the woods.
The snake, which was 6 to 8 feet long, was killed by a deputy, Austin said.
Firefighter Rescues Snake-Bitten Hiker

If it was a nature trail, wasn't the snake where it belonged and protected?
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

plus here we go again with 6-8 ft eastern diamondbacks.

And since the victim was carried out, did they just go in and kill the first EDB they found?

ST PETERSBURG TIMES (Florida) 26 November 06 After fanged greeting, a footrace against time (Ben Montgomery)
Plant City: Brandon Parker held a rifle on an armed kidnapper to help a victim escape. He recovered an elderly woman's life savings from a thief. The young Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy helped so many people he earned the department's top honor in 2005: Law Enforcement Deputy of the Year.
Saturday afternoon, inside thick woods near County Line Road, the 28-year-old husband and father needed help himself. An eastern diamondback rattlesnake bit Parker on the left leg. He was nearing shock when a friend dialed 911 and set in motion a dramatic rush against time to get him out of the woods and to a hospital, where he was in serious condition Saturday night.
Lt. James Anderson was watching the Florida-Florida State football game inside Station 36 when the dispatcher reported a snakebite victim in a patch of woods off State Road 60. Anderson and his team raced to the scene.
They got to the English Creek Environmental Study Center a little after 1 p.m. Anderson met a man on an all-terrain vehicle, and the two rushed into the large wildlife habitat in search of Parker.
About a half-mile into the woods, they abandoned the ATV and fought their way through vines and trees. Anderson trudged through a creek with his rescue equipment.
Meanwhile, a dispatcher radioed paramedics miles away at Tampa General Hospital. An Aeromed helicopter team assembled and waited for antivenin.
Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are shy animals that can grow to be 8 feet in length and carry some of the most complex biological toxins known, said Bruce Shwedick, who owns Reptile Discovery in Plant City and lectures on venomous snakes.
It takes a dose of about 40 to 50 milligrams of venom to kill a healthy adult, and eastern diamondbacks carry five to 10 times that. The fangs can grow to a half-inch.
Bites, if untreated, are often fatal.
When the complex mixture of enzymes and proteins is injected into a human, it begins to break down muscle cells and damage blood vessels. Symptoms include extreme pain, swelling and shock, Shwedick said.
There is a treatment: antivenin. It's made by injecting venom into horses until the animals develop immunities. The serum taken from horses can save a life if the victim is treated in time.
About 20 minutes into the search, Anderson found Parker with another man. (The man's identity could not be confirmed Saturday night.) Parker was in shock. He could speak, but was losing consciousness.
Anderson and the others grabbed Parker and started the hike to the road.
"You'd take 50 steps and not know which was north, south, east or west," Anderson said.
One of the men left to flag other rescuers, leaving two to carry the deputy. Parker's friend tired so Anderson lifted Parker onto his shoulders. He walked what seemed like miles before he broke out of the woods.
Others helped load Parker into the bed of a pickup and drove him toward a small clearing where the helicopter from Tampa General Hospital touched down minutes before.
Paramedics administered the antivenin, put Parker aboard and took off.
By Saturday evening, Parker was listed in serious condition at Tampa General. His vital signs were showing improvement, his wife said. She said Parker was hiking in the woods with friends because he loves nature.
"He's a great guy," Courtney Parker said. "He's honorable and kind and generous and he's just the best."
Anderson didn't know until later that the man he carried out of the woods was a deputy.
"We are very, very lucky," Anderson said. "In these situations, every minute counts."
After fanged greeting, a footrace against time

"Paramedics administered the antivenin, put Parker aboard and took off."

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I always thought doctor's had to administer AV, or at least be there when it was given.

I'm pretty sure paramedics can administer AV, especially in a circumstance where immediate infusion of the medicine (like this one) is neccesary.

In cases where a private keepers stocks their own AV, paramedics can (and are legally bound to do so) help you administer your own AV before you even get to the hospital.

Mixing up AV and infusing it into a patient is not something beyond the realm of capabilities for a paramedic to perform...as long as they know to watch for allergic reaction (which they are obviously trained to recognize and treat as well), there is no real risk to administering antivenin on site without a doctor present.

Does anyone know if the deputy that killed the snake was disciplined in any way for the unneccessary killing of the EDB?

Does anyone know if the snakes (and other animals) in this so-called "Environmental Study Center" are given any legal protection?

I spent some time on the web trying to find info on the park where this occurred, but found very little. Perhaps someone here has more info or a contact person. All I was able to discover is that the "English Creek Enviromental Center" is approx 380-400 acres administered (owned?) by Hillsborough Community College. Apparently, they use the property for certain environmental education programs and rent the facilities/buildings in the park. I couldn't find any specific info on protection of the animals or plants in the park.

I sent an email to the only email contact that I could find for the center. I'll let y'all know if I get a response.

FYI, the email contact is webb@hccexchange.hccfl.edu

Nice job, thanks for e-mailing them. What bothers me most is that unless I am misreading the article, the officer intentionally went back to the so-called nature preserve and hunted around for the snake to kill it. It wasn't killed on the spot. Theoretically it might not have even been the same sanke, although I doubt EDB's are thick on the ground anywhere.