Northern Ireland

Fire Service bill for rescuing obese people doubles

The fire service devised a strategy with the ambulance service in April 2015 to specially cater for obese patients
The fire service devised a strategy with the ambulance service in April 2015 to specially cater for obese patients The fire service devised a strategy with the ambulance service in April 2015 to specially cater for obese patients

THE cost to the fire service of helping obese people trapped in their own homes has more than doubled in three years.

Since 2010 fire crews across Northern Ireland have been called out to assist more than 220 obese people – with some weighing as much as 60 stone.

The overall cost of the call-outs - many of which require specialist equipment - was more than £650,000.

Firefighters rescued 25 people in 2011, but just three years later the number had more than doubled to 54.

The annual bill also increased by more than 150 per cent to almost £170,000.

Among the cases, a 60-stone man required assistance from the police, ambulance and fire service to be moved to a Belfast hospital bed.

In January 2015 a 40-stone Ballyclare man needed help off the floor from fire crews using a chimney runner and bariatric sling.

A woman weighing 30 stone was moved from the bathroom to her bedroom by fire crews in 2010.

And a Belfast man who became stuck in the bath in October 2012 was released by emergency crews using specialist slings.

The latest details of 'bariatric' incidents attended by fire crews were obtained by The Irish News through a Freedom of Information request.

Spending and the numbers rescued have increased year on year from 2011 and reached a peak of £164,990 for 54 incidents in 2014, the most recent full-year figures available.

In 2015 up to the end of November at total of 40 incidents were recorded at a cost of more than £120,000.

The upward trend comes despite high-profile campaigns aimed at tackling obesity, including a Public Health Agency (PHA) initiative in 2013.

Dr Tracy Owen, consultant in public health medicine at the PHA, said: "We should all be concerned about the impact on our health of being overweight or obese.

"Three in every five adults in Northern Ireland are carrying too much weight. Having a waistline of 37 inches or more for a man and 32 inches or more for a woman can put you at greater risk of developing heart disease, some cancers, type 2 diabetes and stroke.

"Overall levels of overweight and obesity have remained relatively steady over the past number of years but we really want to see these levels go down.

"We need to work at a number of levels to ensure that the environment supports health.

"Simple things like thinking about what you're buying in the supermarket and swapping foods and drinks that are high in sugars or fats for something a bit healthier can make a real difference to your health."

In April 2015 the fire service devised a strategy with the ambulance service to specially cater for obese patients.

Northern Ireland Fire Service assistant chief fire officer Michael Graham said the framework is aimed at ensuring patients' care is "unified and safe for all concerned".

He said most bariatric incidents attended by fire crews involve using specialist slings and manual handling techniques.

"Each bariatric incident we attend is individually assessed and fire officers decide on the appropriate techniques and equipment to be used to ensure the safety of all involved," he said.

"Whatever our approach, fire crews will respond to all incidents in a professional and sensitive manner, conscious not just of medical implications but also of dignity issues for the people involved."

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Number and cost of Fire Service call-outs to obese people

Year                No of incidents                  Cost

2010                          34                           £91,653

2011                          25                           £64,411

2012                          28                           £75,208

2013                          45                           £138,096

2014                          54                           £164,990

2015 (Jan-Nov)       40                           £121,360

TOTAL                      226                         £655,718

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Other obesity-related call-outs

  •  A Portadown man weighing up to 40 stone needed help from firefighters after falling in a pub last year
  •  In 2014 fire crews used ratchet and lifting straps to move a 60-stone man to a hospital bed in Belfast
  • Specialist slings and a lever bar were used to move a woman from the floor to her sofa in Carrickfergus in 2012
  •  Fire service personnel and two ambulance workers were needed to lift a Limavady woman into bed in August 2011
  •  A 27-stone Newcastle woman was moved from a wheelchair by firefighters in August 2011 using a lifting harness
  • Firefighters helped ambulance personnel lift a 25-stone woman into bed in Downpatrick in July 2011
  • A 40-stone man required fire service assistance to be lifted into an ambulance and then transferred into hospital in Belfast in April 2011