Shocking figures obtained by the Conservatives have revealed exactly how many times during the past year fire crews have been called to help move obese patients – 1,780. 75% of those calls came from the NHS, according to the data gathered by the Tories after a freedom of information request was granted by 37 out of the 44 UK fire authorities.
Essex had the most call-outs, reaching 390 in total. Their Chief Fire Officer, David Johnson, made the fair point that the fire service had no option but to respond to these calls, as he could not “imagine for a minute that anyone would suggest that we leave people lying on the floor, stuck in their baths or in bed upstairs because of their size." He also made the excellent point that though it was impossible to legislate for the number of calls received, the calls were indicators of a wider social issue.
The fire service had been required to assist in a wide variety of instances, from removing corpses to moving people after heart attacks. In Oxfordshire a man was removed via a window which then had to be refitted, while in Kent the service came to help a 25 stone woman who became stuck in the bath. There was even an incident in Tyne and Wear where assistance was required just to move one patient from one hospital bed to another.
While the cases are fairly appalling, the Ambulance Service Network have reminded us that seen in light of the total number of call-outs the idea that firemen and women spend all their time hoisting fat people out of the bath is as “untrue...as the stereotype...of fire crews rescuing cats up trees.” The National Obesity Service however described the callouts as a “total misuse of the fire service”.