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Orange County (FLA) Fire Rescue 'Bariatric Ambulance' for Obese Patients
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/florida-fire-department-buys-bariatric-ambulance-obese-patients ^ | 3/29/2013 | Ashley Davis

Posted on 03/29/2013 3:59:38 PM PDT by llevrok

The Orange County Fire Rescue Department in Florida has invested thousands of dollars in a new ambulance designed for carrying morbidly obese patients. Over the past few years, they've seen an increase in the number of 911 calls to patients weighing more than 500 pounds.

Called "Bariatric One," it comes with a $23,000 lift gate that can pick up 1,100 pounds as well as a stretcher ten inches wider than normal.

The fire rescue, serving Orange County, an area just outside of Orlando, said that a third of all patients taken to the hospital are obese.

"In the past, you'd have to get five, six, seven firefighters to physically lift the patient in. It increases the chance that something could happen to the patient," a fire official said.

"It also greatly increases the chance that something could happen with back injuries within fire services."

With the lift gate, firefighters don't have to worry about lifting extremely heavy patients into the ambulance. The hydraulics will safely place folks into the truck.

It will be used across the city when an overweight person calls for help.

They said it is worth the thousands they paid for it as it will eventually cut down on resources and time.

This isn't the first area to use a bariatric ambulance. Several other places, like Boston, Mass., have purchased the specialized vehicle.

The lift gate is made in Long Beach, Calif.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: fat; michelle; sourcetitlenoturl
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To: llevrok
911, what's your emergency ?

I don't feel so good .. my back really hurts   :-(

Alright sir, we'll have someone with you very shortly . . . but first, will you fit thru the door ?

Uhhh . . .

21 posted on 03/29/2013 5:55:11 PM PDT by tomkat
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To: buffyt

Or put in a fat camp.


22 posted on 03/29/2013 6:13:59 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: njslim

Hubby had one of those that died inside his mobile home. They had to cut the wall out to get him out.


23 posted on 03/29/2013 6:14:03 PM PDT by sheana
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To: Dysart

I work in a nursing home. We have bariatric beds now. We had a huge man who kept trying to get out of his bed and would fall. The nurses would call EMS to get him up. They finally told them to stop calling, that they had serious calls to get to. The resident was shipped off to another facility shortly after that.


24 posted on 03/29/2013 6:19:58 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: llevrok

It’s easy to joke about, but the responders that have to deal with such patients do have real, and serious problems to solve. Even if it were fairly rare, they still need some way to deal with those exceptional cases when they happen. And they will happen.


25 posted on 03/29/2013 6:33:49 PM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us one chance in three. More tea anyone?)
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To: llevrok

****

It increases the chance that something could happen to the patient,”*****

Patient hell! One of my wife’s kin, a paramedic built like a linebacker, suffered a permanent back injury when a gurney collapsed with a very obese patient on it.


26 posted on 03/29/2013 6:33:55 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (The murals in OKC are destroyed.)
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To: llevrok

Isn’t there a Shamu-mobile they could borrow on an as-needed basis from Seaworld Orlando?


27 posted on 03/29/2013 6:40:04 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you've likely misread the situation.)
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To: ilovesarah2012

I recall 4 yrs ago a 600lb man I provided service to in an assisted living facility. The state appropriated 25k for bariatric equipment via the CBA pgm. He was manipulative, selfish and demanding, and only lasted around 4 months there, being evicted because he violated the food policy. He was sneaking pizzas and liters of cokes at night. His caseworker learned of it and placed him in a SNF. Sad case. Food was his DRUG. He was only about 35 and in very poor health as you can imagine...lower extremity edema as I’ve never seen. CHF/kidney failure...


28 posted on 03/29/2013 7:11:43 PM PDT by Dysart ( Democracy is the road to socialism-- Karl Marx)
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To: Dysart

It is sad and you have to wonder at what point did they and/or their families just not care or try to do something.


29 posted on 03/29/2013 7:19:15 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: llevrok

I had a debate with a Lib at work about obesity the other day. His argument (he is in his late 20’s) was that healthy food was not readily available. I explained to him that I am in my 60’s and have maintained the same weight I had when I graduated from High School by taking the time to exercise and prepare good meals. I don’t know if I reached him or not.


30 posted on 03/29/2013 7:19:21 PM PDT by wjcsux ("In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell)
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To: llevrok

I used to be a Contracting Officer for the VA. You wouldn’t believe how much bariatric stuff I bought.


31 posted on 03/29/2013 8:03:39 PM PDT by mom4melody
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