Genitals stuck in a chastity belt, head caught in a cat flap and a hand wedged in a vending machine: Fire crews reveal their most bizarre call-outs

When fire crews say they have seen it all, they really mean it.

From freeing a man's genitals from a titanium chastity belt to rescuing a woman wedged in a vending machine, firefighters in the capital have had some truly bizarre call-outs.

The London Fire Brigade revealed that last year they were called to 417 incidents involving people stuck in objects, machinery or furniture and firefighters warned that these type of calls could divert them from more serious situations.

Their records reveal that one embarrassed man even turned up at hospital with a ring stuck on his penis had to be cut free by 10 firefighter.

London Fire Brigade revealed some of their more bizarre emergencies as they warned such 999 calls could divert rescue services from more serious situations. Many of the preventable incidents involved children getting stuck in playground equipment or household items.

It took them 20 minutes to remove the ring after staff at Queen Elizabeth hospital, Woolwich, were unable to prise it from the man's genitals.

This was just one of three incidents in which firefighters were called to remove a ring stuck on a penis between April 2010 to May 2011.

In October firefighters were called in to rescue a man trapped in a fourth-storey flat window in Kingston, South-West London. He had been trying to get into a bathroom.

However unusual incidents are not just restricted to the London area. Just last week a video emerged of Danielle Morgan, a student at the University of Derby, who had to be freed after getting stuck in a clothes horse.

The undergraduate had been ‘mucking about’ in her flatmate’s bedroom when she fell off the bed.

Let me out! Danielle Morgan hit the headlines after video emerged of the University of Derby student being cut free from a clothes horse The video showing Ms Morgan being freed by firefighters became a viral hit

BIZARRE INCIDENTS

Last year Crews removed handcuffs from 36 people

Cut 'other’ objects from 74 people , 15 of whom were injured

Rescued 14 people who had become impaled

Rescuing 133 people who had become trapped in or under machinery or other objects Examples from past five years include: • A woman with her foot glued to the floor in Islington • A child with its head stuck in a tambourine in Southwark • A woman with a hedge strimmer stuck on her arm in Greenwich • Several people with their hands stuck in a letterboxes • Several people with their hands stuck in shredders • Several children with toilet seats and potties stuck on their heads or round their necks • Several children trapped in play equipment like swings and slides on playgrounds



In a bizarre turn of events the 18-year-old, dressed in her pyjamas and dressing gown, then knocked over a nearby clothes horse which landed on her, with the narrow rails trapping her by the head and shoulders.

In desperation she called a friend to explain her predicament and despite the best efforts of her flatmate, Miss Morgan just could not be freed and firefighters had to be called.



Miss Morgan wrote on Facebook shortly after the incident: ‘Having four hunky firemen and two paramedics come to my rescue! What a way to spend a Sunday night. I feel like I’ve been stuck in a clothes horse for an hour!’

London fire crews revealed that many of the preventable incidents involved children getting stuck in playground equipment or household items.

But one adult may have taken playing with his youngsters too far, after he needed the fire service to help extract him from a child's toy car.

Other incidents include a teenager getting wedged in an ironing board and a person getting their fingers stuck in a DVD player.

Several children were helped after getting toilet seats and potties stuck on their heads while 36 people had to be freed from handcuffs.

The removal of rings from fingers accounted for 160 incidents, while 74 people had 'other' objects removed.

Dave Brown, the fire service's assistant commissioner for operations and mobilising, said: 'You would not believe some of the incidents we are called to deal with - people manage to get themselves trapped in some very weird and wonderful places.

'But there is a serious side to this, these incidents are time-consuming, costly and take up the precious time of our crews who are then unavailable to attend other, potentially life-threatening, emergencies.

'We ask the public to take greater care to avoid getting themselves into these often ridiculous situations and to think carefully before dialling 999 and calling us out if there is not an emergency.'