Published: Mon, Oct. 15, 2007 12:00AM

Modified Mon, Oct. 15, 2007 08:50AM

tool name

"In that case, we had to call the fire department, two ambulances, a supervisor, [I] was on the scene, four firetrucks, a tactical rescue truck.

"We had to tie backboards together and take a window out."

Smith said his EMTs treat bariatric patients with the same sensitivity as they would anyone else.

"Everybody has an opinion. Ours is, we have a job to do, that's why we're in this business, to treat patients no matter who they are," he said.

Special equipment

Some patients test the capabilities of ambulance equipment.

Wake EMS uses stretchers rated for 650 pounds when fully upright, Hammerstein said.

Though rare, the agency sometimes has patients heavier than that, he said. It is working to purchase ambulances designed for bariatric patients, larger trucks with ramps, a winch system and wide stretchers.

"I'm afraid we are going to need them more and more," he said.

Other special equipment exists to help EMTs move people, some of it rated for many hundreds of pounds. But it is costly.

In Orange County, Woodward wants to purchase "stair chairs" rated for 500 pounds, wheelchair-like contraptions that have long treads on the back and roll along the tops of stairs.

They cost $2,200 each, she said.

"We need 12 to outfit our entire fleet," she said. "We have one."

But, she points out, the cost of the equipment pales in comparison to the cost of losing an experienced staff member.

"It's about a million dollars when someone goes out on a workers comp injury and they're on permanent disability, over the lifetime of that injury," she said.

And back or shoulder injuries can end careers in a job that requires hauling heavy equipment, let alone patients.

Wake EMS is noting what equipment other agencies are purchasing and how the equipment performs before Wake makes major investments, officials said.

No end in sight

The number of overweight and obese people in North Carolina is growing.

And with the number of overweight children growing as well, emergency medical services will probably face moving heavier and heavier people for generations.

These days different equipment, new ideas about patient care and a change in mentality among emergency workers have lessened some of the chances of work injuries, said Marcia Adams, the injured paramedic.

But, she added, "there are still going to be injuries on this job, because of the obesity factor, some of it because of the construction factor of homes, and where people want to live now."

Since her injury, Adams has been working in the Orange EMS office, answering phones and doing other administrative tasks. But that is not what she wants to be doing.

"I'd love to get back to my job," she said. "I've always loved doing what I do."