By Jane Tyler
The Birmingham Mail
BIRMINGHAM, England — Firefighters in the West Midlands had to be called out an incredible 51 times to winch fat people out of their homes to waiting ambulances.
Paramedics were forced to ask their 999 colleagues for help because they were unable to lift the obese patients.
Over the last three years, firefighters helped ambulance crews move severely overweight people 51 times, utilising heavy lifting equipment normally used to deal with serious car crashes.
They responded to requests when paramedics turned up to a 999 call or pre-booked appointment and found the patient was too heavy to move.
Specialist lifting equipment carried on fire engines — normally used to tackle road accidents where wreckage needs to be shifted — has had to be used.
The obesity problem has got so bad that West Midlands Ambulance Service has bought four £90,000 ‘fat ambulances’ capable of tackling patients weighing up to 40 stone (560 pounds).
Yet they still find the need to call firefighters — either because the special ambulances aren’t available, the patient is in a particularly difficult location or is too big to be handled.
New figures show that from March 2009 to April 2010 West Midlands Fire Service was called out 17 times to lift the heavyweight patients.
Crews dealt with 16 of the incidents the following year and 17 from March 2011 to April 2012.
So far this year — from April 1 to August 31 — they have been called out just once.
The figures reveal “fat hot-spots” across the brigade area. The fire station receiving the most requests for help was Canley in Coventry with five call-outs, while Ward End and Kings Norton in Birmingham and Stourbridge each had four.
West Bromwich and Billesley station areas each had three requests to help lift the patients.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it had invested in equipment to deal with obese patients, but there were times when they needed firefighters’ help.
“There are occasions when the fire service is requested to attend incidents where safe access to and egress from premises is deemed problematic,’' a spokesman said.
“In such cases, firefighters and ambulance staff work together to ensure patient safety is not compromised.”
West Midlands Fire Service station commander Pete Drummond said: “We work collaboratively with the ambulance service and will respond appropriately when requested by them, to effect the safest possible treatment and care of bariatric casualties or patients.’'
Nick Harrison, West Midlands Brigade Chairman of the Fire Brigades Union, said: “In most cases these people are quite elderly and are suffering from serious medical issues which have left them bedridden for a long time, and they have put on a lot of weight.
“Many times we have to remove the whole window frame and get them out that way. It’s a lot simpler and safer both for them and for the rescuers.”
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