The stark reality of Cumbria’s weight problem is today laid bare after it was revealed that firefighters are regularly rescuing obese people from their own homes.

Exclusive figures obtained by the News & Star show fire crews have been called to lift overweight people nearly 50 times in the past five years.

Armed with harnesses to help raise those involved, they have been deployed to places including Carlisle, Workington and Whitehaven. They say they try to make the situation as dignified as possible when being called to help, with crews often being dispatched to assist medics.

The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, come as the issue of health and obesity continues to play a major part in the national news agenda.

In the past, Cumbria and particularly Copeland has topped national obesity charts.

The county council says it is helping people manage their weight, with methods including 1,500 referrals to services such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World.

Initiatives also include aiming to make children in particular more active – and encouraging youngsters to consume a healthy diet.

Our figures show firefighters were called out 20 times in the last year alone, going to homes in Carlisle, west Cumbria, Eden and the south of the county.


Craig Drinkald Craig Drinkald, a station manager in operational planning at the county’s fire service headquarters, near Penrith, said the service was often called by the ambulance service or paramedics to help vulnerable people who may be stuck upstairs or who may have fallen and are trapped.

“We call obese rescues bariatric rescues,” added Mr Drinkald. “Twenty years ago when I started this job we didn’t have equipment to deal with obese people so you can see that it is on the increase.

“We now carry specialist equipment like lifting straps to deal with the heavier weights.

“If we are moving someone who is 30 or 40 stone then we might have to remove windows and doors to get them out and we carry tools to

do that as well. If we could prevent obesity in the first place then we wouldn’t have to do that.

“We always endeavour to be as compassionate as possible but if you have four or five firefighters and two ambulance crew lifting you, then it’s hard. We try to handle people in a dignified way.”

Mr Drinkald said the Fire Service wants to work more closely with health professionals to tackle the issue of obesity.

Results of a study issued earlier this year said more than 1,600 Cumbrian primary school leavers were obese or overweight. In five of the county’s six districts, about a third were said to be carrying excess weight. This increases their risks of developing heart disease, as well as other health conditions, as adults.

The British Heart Foundation has called for a ban on all junk food TV advertising before 9pm, as part of the Government’s childhood obesity strategy to help improve children’s health.


Colin Cox Colin Cox, director of public health for Cumbria County Council, said: “Cumbria is indeed seeing a rise in obesity rates, as is the case throughout the country. I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about Cumbria in this.

“Obesity is of course linked to a range of serious health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes, which is also a rising challenge.”

Mr Cox said the authority took the issue very seriously. “We have recently piloted an approach to supporting people to access community-based weight management services, such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World,” he added.

“This had more than 1,500 referrals during the pilot phase and those who participated lost more than 10lb on average. Having reviewed the results of the pilot we are now streamlining the process and will be re-launching this programme in the near future.

“Our Active Cumbria team does a huge amount to encourage people to be more physically active. And we have grant-funded a range of community-based initiatives aimed at getting children in particular more active and eating a healthier diet.”