THE FIRE brigade has been called out to dozens of incidents which required obese people being cut free from their homes.
Figures from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS), provided via a Freedom of Information request, reveal the service was called out 53 times to extract an obese person.
The figures, which span a decade, also show most incidents were as a result of a request by the ambulance service, but twice the individual who needed rescuing called DWFRS.
Of those incidents, the youngest ‘bariatric’ patient was 17 years old and the oldest was 92 – with men disproportionately needing more help more than women.
Group manager of DWFRS Wayne Presley said the service will only attend a bariatric rescue if there is a potential risk to life.
“In most cases, we will send either an officer or a local crew to scene in the first instance to make an assessment of what is needed,” he said.
Read more: Firefighters help cut a man from a flat in Southbourne
“Sometimes, the attending crew can assist the paramedics with moving the patient and no further resources are needed.
“Where the patient needs to be removed from a property, and it is not possible and/or safe to carry them, we will send one of our technical rescue teams, which are based in Stratton (Swindon), Weymouth and Poole.
“They carry specialist equipment, including a reinforced stretcher, that will allow them to move the patient in a way that’s safe for everyone.
“On occasion, an aerial ladder platform (we have these in Swindon, Salisbury, Weymouth and Westbourne) can be used to move the person via a window or balcony. Our crews are trained to remove windows safely in these instances.
Read more: Firefighters called to fires in public spaces across BCP
“At all times, firefighters are working with ambulance colleagues to ensure that the patient is receiving the care they need, and are treated with dignity.
“The medical assessment very much determines what plan is put into place.”
In Bournemouth, 61 per cent of adults are overweight or obese and the figure for Poole is 64 per cent, according to Cancer Research UK.
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