Firefighters called out 'every four hours' to help move overweight Britons

The London Fire Brigade dealt with the most bariatric rescues in 2023, with 326 incidents of recorded assistance, Home Office data shows.

The shocking figure is nearly five times higher than 10 years ago when there were just 422 incidents of people being unable to leave their homes due to serious obesity nationwide.

In one particular incident in January last year, it took 39 firefighters in more than 15 vehicles to free a 50-stone male from his home. The whole ordeal took over 6 hours.

In recent years, the complexity of the bariatric rescues has increased, with additional personnel and equipment required for the procedures.

Data showed that one in eight incidents required more than four vehicles in attendance in the past two years.

Obesity Health Alliance director Katharine Jenner said it was the result of a “deeply concerning” surge in weight gain across the nation.

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She said: “Public services, like fire and rescue, are being forced to pay for years of government failure to prevent diet-related ill health.

“Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition with many causes.

“It is essential we tackle those root causes, such as the flood of unhealthy food and drink that is constantly marketed.”

Britain has one of the highest rates of adult obesity in Europe, with two in three adults being overweight or obese. Meanwhile, 36.6 per cent of children fall into the same category.

“There is an obesity epidemic in the UK now,” says Jane Pilkington, director of population health at NHS Greater Manchester. “It has been building up for at least 30 years. It is now a chronic problem.”

The NHS spends £6billion a year treating obesity-related ill-health and that is forecast to rise to £10billion a year by 2050.

Discussing the rise in bariatric rescues, the chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, Mark Hardingham, said: “The fire and rescue service has a primary role responding to fires but we are also a rescue service. Rescues come in many forms and firefighters are increasingly working with blue light partners in police and ambulance to provide support where that benefits people who need our help.

“Firefighters are extremely professional, capable and well equipped – the range of ‘rescue’ incidents they attend is significant including supporting ambulance colleagues with medical incidents, moving patients and providing emergency access to premises to help those unwell and inside, alongside responding to road traffic collisions, flooding and water rescues, animal rescues, terrorist incidents and other similar emergencies.”