Edmonton's Emergency Medical Services, following Calgary's lead, have spent $30,000 refitting an ambulence to carry fat people.
Until now, paramedics have resorted to transporting some extremely large patients in moving trucks and U-Haul vehicles.Yeah, if you're getting to be that fat, perhaps some time spent far far far away from any form of body-enhancing medical care is the best, if not the most fatality-proof, solution.
"That's not a very ideal situation," Weiss said, adding that it takes valuable time to acquire a moving truck. "We need that equipment on hand and ready to respond."
In the past, paramedics have also been forced to call fire crews for assistance in loading and unloading obese patients, he added.
That drives up wait times for ambulances while tying up firefighters.
Earlier this year, it took seven emergency responders to carry a bed-ridden Edmonton woman - who weighed about 450 pounds - on a stretcher from a seniors home.
