Shropshire fire service spends £4,000 rescuing OBESE people

Firefighters were called in to help with moving bariatric patients on nine occasions over that time.

Their most recent rescue mission involved moving a patient who weighed more than 20 stone into a lift – a procedure that required three appliances and cost more than £850.

Their help has set the taxpayer back a total of £3,979.92 over the last four financial years.

Fire service bosses today insisted the cost is secondary to helping members of the community.

"The costs are minimal in terms of the grand scheme of things and we do not have a large number of incidents," said John Harrison, group manager at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

"Where we do have them it is about providing that service to that casualty. We do not pass those costs on in any way as we are there to assist.

"It is great, where we can, that for these people that need that help at that time we can provide that service to assist them.

"There is always lots of consideration about the dignity and respect the patient needs."

The service experienced its busiest year in 2013/14 when it was called to help on four separate incidents, costing a total of £1,137.12.

The findings have been revealed in a Freedom of Information request which show the number of bariatric rescues nationwide has risen by more than a third.

There were 944 incidents where people needed help in 2015/16, up a third on the 709 in 2012/13.

In 2012, a new category was created for the fire and rescue services to report incidents involving obese patients.

Mr Harrison added: "We have procedures in place and we liaise very closely with primarily the ambulance service because it is a request for help if somebody needs to go to hospital but they need additional assistance to move that person before conveying them to hospital.

"We will assess the needs of the individual but most of the time we will assist because at the end of the day somebody in the community requires our help and it is a humanitarian service.

"We have got a variety of methods. All our staff are highly trained in manual handling and we carry a range of equipment which can be used in these incidents.

"We carry bariatric rescue kits. They are basically large sheets with handles on so we can share the weight around.

"Often it is about sliding people around rather than lifting. It is often about working in manual handling and working as a group of individuals.

"There have been occasions where our role has been removing a window panel for example. It is all about assisting members of the public."

A quarter of all adults in Shropshire is clinically obese and two thirds are overweight and a leading councillor has said obesity is a growing problem in the county.

Councillor Karen Calder, cabinet member for health at Shropshire Council and chair of Shropshire's Health and Wellbeing board said: "We all need to work together, as organisations, individuals, in our families, and as part of our communities, to look after our health and well-being and support those around us.

"Obesity poses a major threat to the health of Shropshire's population and places an increasing and preventable burden on local health and social care services.

"This is why we are committed to working with a wide range of partners and local communities to address the issues of obesity in Shropshire."