FIREFIGHTERS were called more than 2,000 times to help move obese people last year.
There were 2,169 bariatric rescues in 2023 — one every four hours and nearly five times as many as ten years ago, figures show.
In one incident in January last year, 39 firefighters in more than 15 vehicles took more than six hours to help a 50st male heart attack victim from his home.
The London Fire Brigade dealt with the most, with 326, followed by Humberside’s 190 incidents, then Kent with 181 callouts.
Figures have rocketed since 2013, when there were just 442 nationwide.
It comes after the death this year of 33-year-old Jason Holton, who needed a giant crane to get him through his third-floor window in Camberley, Surrey, in 2020.
The takeaway food app addict’s weight had ballooned to 50st, in effect trapping him in his flat for five years.
Last year there were 20 incidents which took up more than six hours of the fire brigade’s time.
Obesity Health Alliance director Katharine Jenner said it was the result of a “deeply concerning” rise in weight gain.
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.”
