Fire crews in the West Midlands are being called out at least once a month to help lift obese patients, new figures reveal. The figures obtained by the Conservatives showed that, from July 2007 to now, ambulance staff requested assistance from the fire service 28 times, at a cost of £64,000. The party asked for the figures under the Freedom of Information Act to highlight the growing obesity problem in the UK. Shadow health minister Mike Penning said: "As a former firefighter, I am concerned at these figures. "They show the severe strain that the growing obesity epidemic is putting our emergency services under." Senior research fellow and consultant physician Jeremy Tomlinson, from the University of Birmingham, said the figures, should serve as a "wake-up call" to the overweight. "It very graphically shows the state of the country's obesity problem," he said. "Around 23 per cent of the population is obese. The people being lifted out of their beds by fire crews are just the tip of the iceberg. "The important message is that, even if you are only three or four stone over-weight, you must not be complacent. "If these figures can help people by shocking them into tackling their weight, that's great," he added. Liz Kendall, director of theAmbulance Service Net work, said the figures should not lead people to jump to conclusions. She said: "Just as the stereotype in days gone by was of fire crews rescuing cats up trees, thinking our emergency services are now spending their whole time being called to lift obese people out of their homes is equally untrue. "Obesity is a serious issue requiring serious analysis and policy. "The big challenge is tackling the root causes and consequences of obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes. Politicians, the NHS and industry need to work together to address it." Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, a group of healthcare workers who take an interest in the treatment of obesity, said: "I am surprised by this research. It is indeed horrific. "This is a total misuse of the fire service. It is preventing firefighters from doing what they should be doing, which is putting out fires." | 
