Fire crews in the UK were called out a record 2,344 times last year to help obese people trapped in their homes. That works out at 45 bariatric rescues a week—more than six every day—and is almost five times the 489 recorded in 2014.
Busiest quarter on record
The final three months of 2025 were the busiest ever, with 688 call-outs between October and December alone. Crews use specialist lifting gear to free overweight people stuck in beds, baths and stairlifts, and now train with 250kg dummies bulked out with stones and ball bearings. On occasions firefighters have removed doors and even knocked through walls to get patients out so they could get medical help.
Regional hotspots
London's brigade topped the table last year with 383 rescues—more than one a day—followed by Humberside on 152, with Lancashire, and Devon and Somerset level on 133. Surrey crews were sent out 112 times, while Greater Manchester dealt with 106 rescues and Kent 102.
Among the most dramatic cases in recent years, crews in Acton, west London, spent 17 hours freeing a 50-stone heart attack victim in 2023 by removing a flat's wall, while in 2020 Jason Holton was lifted by crane from his third-storey window in Camberley, Surrey, after spending five years trapped in his home.
Rising trend and calls for action
Around two in three adults in England are overweight or obese, and experts fear more people are becoming stuck at home as they rely on deliveries while wheelchair or bed-bound. The number of bariatric rescues has now risen in 10 of the last eleven years.
A spokesperson for the Obesity Health Alliance said: “Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition with many causes, and these figures are a stark reminder of the profound impact it can have on individuals, families and public services.
“The sharp rise in bariatric rescues highlights the urgent need to tackle the root causes of obesity, rather than simply dealing with the consequences. We must address the flood of unhealthy food and drink that is relentlessly marketed, often cheaper calorie for calorie than healthier alternatives and available at almost every turn.”
They added: “The Government already has a range of evidence-based policies at its disposal, including mandatory health reporting for large food businesses, stronger restrictions on unhealthy food advertising and an updated Nutrient Profiling Model.
“Taking decisive action now would help reduce pressure on the NHS, social care and emergency services.”
A National Fire Chiefs Council spokesperson said: "The need for the support of fire and rescue services across a whole range of incidents is increasing, and helping bariatric casualties is one element of that.
“It is right that fire and rescue services continue to support vulnerable people by working collaboratively with our blue light partners whenever our specialist skills are needed as part of our statutory role. Firefighters are well-trained and equipped to carry out that role professionally.”
