'Firemen's lift is not for a 41-stone man'

[Sash]

A crew of 10 firemen were called out four times in one week to lift a 41-stone man in his own home.

They travelled in two engines to Robert Marsden's council house and on one occasion were asked only to move him from one side of his bed to the other.

It led to a fire brigade union leader complaining yesterday that crews should not be dealing with obese people when they could be needed at real emergencies.

The call-outs were made to Mr Marsden's ground floor flat in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, last week, where he receives daily visits from carers.

Gordon McQuade, of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "On one of the occasions it was simply to assist the council's Mobile Emergency Care Service to move him across his bed. That is not a medical emergency. Firefighters will always attend to help out in medical emergencies. We have no problem with that.

"But when you tie up two fire engines and 10 firefighters to move someone two feet across a bed you have to ask, should we be doing that in case other incidents come in?

"We don't have any special equipment or portable hoists to lift people like this. Even with 10 firefighters, if you're pushing someone who is more than 40 stone, you can put your back out."

Mr Marsden, 40, who is unemployed and spends much of his day in bed, said he did not understand "what the fuss was about".

He added: "The firemen came here and got on with their job, and once they were finished they went on to their next job. Sometimes I slide to the floor in my living room, and it's hard to get back up.

"I try not to make a regular habit of ringing for help, but sometimes there is nothing I can do. Of course I'm grateful to the fire service. There are people up and down the country just like me.

"My weight isn't something I like to discuss. It comes up in every conversation I have. I am tired of talking about it." The FBU said that with morbid obesity becoming more common, the NHS should provide on-call assistance and hoists to allow firemen to concentrate on their real duties.

Mr McQuade added: "We are seeing a large increase in this type of call where obese patients require to be moved within their house, but there is actually nothing medically wrong with them."

'Firemen's lift is not for a 41-stone man' - Telegraph


Does he not even feel embarrassed??

[Paparika]

"My weight isn't something I like to discuss. It comes up in every conversation I have. I am tired of talking about it." The FBU said that with morbid obesity becoming more common, the NHS should provide on-call assistance and hoists to allow firemen to concentrate on their real duties.


Is this really a job for the firemen or is it something the NHS need to review, as obesity is growing in this country.

[dmgirl]

I thought firemen were trained to put out fires and rescue the odd cat from a tree. This seems to be stretching their job discription a little bit, surely they would be better off using those two fire engines and the ten firefighters to actually put out fires.

Moving people over in their beds seems more of a carer's job than anyone elses, imo.

[teflon]

Yeah this story has to be slanted. The Fire Brigade obviously don't turn up to roll fat guys over as a rule.
I am normally severely liberal in these matters, if fat people enjoy eating all lovely food and becoming big and fat, I say good luck to them. But if they get so fat they can't actually roll over then that is going too far. How can you get hold of more lovely food if you can't even move?
Whoever is bringing all the food to that gentleman needs to get with the tough love and make him sit up gradually and then stand up and walk to the lovely food. He has obviously gone too far.