Bucks firefighters remove over 400 objects from people in past five years

Firefighters in Buckinghamshire have been called out to remove objects from people ​401 times in the past five years, figures show.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Home Office data reveals firefighters in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes were called 85 times to remove an object from someone in the last year (2018-2019) and 401 times between 2014-2019.

The most common object removed is a wedding ring, accounting for 43 of the 85 call outs in 2018-19, while trapped limbs is the second most frequent reason, with 23 incidents in the last year.

Nationally, firefighters removed objects from people 4,878 times in 2018-19 - the highest number on record.

file imagefile image
file image

One of the strangest incidents in 2019 was a toddler in South Shields who was rescued by Tyne and Wear firefighters after getting a potty stuck on her head.

Fire and rescue services are attending more non-fire incidents each year, with crews in England and Wales responding to 162,000 call outs of this kind in 2018-19. Of those, 2,392 were attended in Buckinghamshire.

The national increase has largely been driven by crews attending more medical and collaborative, multi-agency incidents.

Although Home Office data does not show the location of incidents involving the removal of objects in 2018-19, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says more accidents happen in the home than anywhere else.

The charity has suggested the coronavirus lockdown could lead to a spike in DIY mishaps and other incidents for emergency services to deal with.

Ashley Martin, RoSPA's public health adviser, said: "We are aware of the potential for an increase in the number of home accidents requiring an emergency response because of the increased amount of time people are spending at home.

"During this period when people have more time at home, it may appear to be a good time to catch up on some household maintenance jobs including those for which they would normally call in expert help which is currently unavailable.

"RoSPA advises extreme caution when undertaking DIY activities and that people should remember that they can help the NHS and other emergency services by avoiding unnecessary call outs or visits to A&E due to an accidental injury.”