HERALD SUN (Melbourne, Australia) 20 January 05 Snake bite man says don't panic (Paul Anderson)
A young firefighter who stayed calm after being bitten by a snake has advised any future victims not to panic.
Tom Barry, 21, was bitten on his ankle by a brown snake while working with his Department of Sustainability and Environment team in Powelltown, near Yarra Junction, about 12.15pm yesterday.
The snake, estimated to be just under 1m long, struck from the middle of a pile of hoses after being disturbed.
Mr Barry, who lives in Yarra Junction past the Dandenong Ranges, said he first thought his leg had been hit by a stick.
"I just stood over it, took one step back and it latched on," Mr Barry said at Royal Melbourne Hospital yesterday.
"I thought it was just a stick hitting me in the back of the leg.
"Our first aider came up. He responded really quickly. He wanted to look at it straight away.
"I had two red dots on the side of my leg. Thank God he acted on it because I didn't think I was in as much trouble as what I was."
Mr Barry thought it was a tiger snake, but tests showed he had been bitten by a brown.
After bandaging his leg above the wound to stop any poison from circulating, he was flown to the hospital.
Mr Barry said he felt light-headed in the helicopter but stayed calm.
"The quicker you panic, the faster your heart goes and the quicker the venom gets into your heart," he said.
To anyone unfortunate enough to be bitten by a snake in the future, Mr Barry advised: "Stay calm and get to hospital as quick as you can."
Dr Steven Pincus said Mr Barry was in good shape when he arrived at hospital, thanks to excellent first aid applied by his workmates.
While the bite did not pump venom into Mr Barry, the poison was lining the skin around the wound.
"Quite a lot of patients will get a dry bite," Dr Pincus said.
"Probably only about one in five bites you actually get venom in."
When asked if the incident would keep him from his DSE duties, Mr Barry replied: "No snake can keep me away from my job."
Snake bite man says don't panic