Morbidly obese ‘diverting fire service from proper job’

FIRE crew call-outs to move obese people from their homes have more than doubled in five years.

Last year, firefighters were called out 909 times to help lift morbidly obese patients – compared with just 426 in 2012. Between 2012 and 2017 there were 3,873 call-outs made to help shift overweight patients, according to fire chiefs in the West Midlands.

Campaigners say it is draining the already over-stretched fire service that is struggling against cuts. Dispatching a fire engine is thought to cost in the region of £400 – meaning it may have cost more than £1.4 million since 2012.

Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, a charity which raises awareness of obesity in the UK, said: “The rise comes as no surprise. It’s not only a drain, but the fire service is there to put out fires and each time they are called to an emergency rescue of an obese person they are away from doing their proper job.

“It will be truly awful if some overweight person is responsible for diverting a fire crew from their day job. We understand the Government is launching the new obesity strategy but even that will not prevent these figures rising for years to come.”

The number of call-outs is likely to be higher because only 42 of the 52 fire services in the UK responded to Freedom of Information requests on the subject.

Fire services are called to assist obese patients in their homes using heavyweight lifting equipment because they are too big to move unaided.

One of those was Georgia Davis, who had to be lifted out using a crane after her weight shot up to around 60 stone.

According to the NHS, being overweight or obese now affects one in every four adults.